10-1 second-half run propels Wheaton to 17-16 comeback win over MIT

April 15, 2008

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's lacrosse team rallied from a six-goal deficit with a 10-1 second-half run before holding on for a wild 17-16 victory over Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Tuesday in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Keefe Field. The Lyons improved to 6-7 overall and 2-3 in league play, while the Engineers fell to 2-7 and 1-3.

During Wheaton's first action in a week, four players scored as the Lyons edged out to a 4-2 advantage with 17:10 remaining in the opening half, but MIT responded with a 5-0 run, scoring the first three goals over a 2:09 span to forge ahead. After Lyon junior Madeline Williams' (Annapolis, MD/Key School) free-position tally at 4:53 brought the hosts within 7-5, MIT scored three more times before the end of the half and tallied two of the initial three markers during the second stanza, going ahead 12-6 with 26:38 left in regulation.

Faced with a six-goal deficit, Wheaton put together a frenzied rally, scoring seven straight markers in a 4:22 span to go back on top. Junior Caitlin Grant (Walpole, MA/Walpole) and senior Meredith Hurd (Bath, ME/Hyde School) tallied 29 ticks apart to start the run before senior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) netted a natural hat trick in 1:47 to make the score 12-11 at 20:14. Grant knotted the contest 42 seconds later, and senior Alexa Jurczak (Davidsonville, MD/Miss Porter's School) completed the run 15 ticks after that at 19:17.

MIT freshman Erica Little (Sherborn, MA/Saint Mark's School) tied the game at 13 with 18:31 to go, but Grant scored at 12:46 and 9:58, and sophomore Brittany King (Georgetown, MA/Proctor Academy) made it 16-13 at 9:29 off a Dimick helper. Junior Samantha O'Keefe (Carlisle, MA/Concord-Carlisle Regional) scored twice in a 47-second span to bring MIT within one at 5:04, but Lyon senior Simone Safyer (New Rochelle, NY/The Masters School) converted King's pass just 16 seconds later for the game-winner. The Engineers scored again at 3:09, but Hurd ran out the clock in the waning seconds.

Grant finished with a team-high four goals, while Dimick had three markers and two assists. Hurd, Jurczak, King and Williams each scored twice. In goal, freshman Annalisa Carson (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) made eight saves while starting the contest and finishing it in relief, while classmate Marianna Marcellino (Milton, MA/Thayer Academy) stopped one shot in more than 17 minutes of action.

O'Keefe tallied six goals, while Little and sophomore Casey Flynn (Silver Spring, MD/Georgetown Visitation Prep) each had a hat trick. Freshman Stephanie Leger (Vienna, VA/James Madison) netted a pair, and classmate Monique Squiers (Grosse Pointe Shores, MI/University Liggett School) made 10 saves.

The Lyons return to action on Thursday, traveling to Amherst College for a 7:00 p.m. contest. The Lord Jeffs are ranked ninth nationally by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).

SCORING: 1st 2nd Final
MIT (2-7, 1-3) 10 6 16
Wheaton (6-7, 2-3) 5 12 17

Cumulative Scoring:
Goals: WC- Caitlin Grant 4, Sara Dimick 3, Meredith Hurd 2, Alexa Jurczak 2, Brittany King 2, Madeline Williams 2, Simone Safyer, Bridget Thornton; MIT- Samantha O'Keefe 6, Casey Flynn 3, Erica Little 3, Stephanie Leger 2, Stephanie Brenman, Laura Watson

Assists: WC- Dimick 2, Hurd, Jurczak, King; MIT- Lily He 2, Brenman, Flynn

Goalie Saves: WC- Annalisa Carson (42:55) 8, Marianna Marcellino (17:05) 1; MIT- Monique Squiers 10

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