2007 NEWMAC FIELD HOCKEY TOURNAMENT - Lyons battle Wellesley to scoreless draw in regulation before falling in overtime

November 3, 2007

BABSON PARK, MA- The Wheaton College field hockey team's bid to reach its first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament championship game fell just short Saturday afternoon, as the third-seeded Lyons battled number two Wellesley College to a scoreless semifinal draw in regulation before falling, 1-0 in overtime on host Babson College's MacDowell Field.

Wheaton, which suffered just its third defeat in 11 games, falls to 13-6 and will await word on a potential Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament bid. Improving to 13-5 overall, Wellesley advances to tomorrow's championship game to face fourth seed Springfield College in a rematch of last year's title match. Springfield knocked off Babson, 3-1 in today's first semifinal.

Wellesley capitalized on the game's lone score 3:11 into the extra session when sophomore Callie Lekas (Brewster, MA/Bancroft School) sent her team's only overtime shot into the back of the cage. Wheaton senior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) gave the Lyons a scoring chance just 1:25 into play, but her shot was blocked by a Blue defender.

Wheaton applied offensive pressure in the early going, jumping out with the game's first eight penalty corners, but two shots by junior Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT/Branford) in the first three minutes of action and another off the stick of senior Ashley Miller (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) in the 27th minute were stopped by junior goalie Emily Hewitt (Alexandria, VA/Saint Stephen's & Saint Agnes School).

The Blue finished with the stanza's final five corners, but two of its shots went wide and the other was turned aside by Wheaton freshman Cameron Abel (Windham, NH/Salem). Thirteen of the game's 15 corners were in the opening frame, as each team had one in the second half. Wellesley entered halftime with a 6-3 advantage in shots.

The Blue held a narrow 6-5 shots edge in the second half, as each team began the frame trading chances. Wheaton's closest opportunity to break the stalemate came in the 59th minute on a Dimick shot that smacked the post. A corner and shot from sophomore Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) ensued shortly thereafter, but the Lyons came away empty. Wellesley made one final push with a pair of shots in the final 30 seconds of regulation, only to be denied by Abel to force the overtime.

Abel finished with six saves, while Hewitt accounted for five stops, as Wellesley had a 13-9 edge in shots.

2007 NEWMAC FIELD HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
Wellesley 1, Wheaton 0 (OT)

SCORING 1st 2nd OT Final
Wheaton (13-6) 0 0 0 0
Wellesley (13-5) 0 0 1 1

OT: WELL- Callie Lekas (unassisted) 73:111

Goalie Saves: WC- Cameron Abel 6; WELL- Emily Hewitt 5

Shots: WC- 9; WELL- 13

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