Lacrosse Beats Mount Holyoke, Falls to Wellesley over Weekend

On April 10, the Pioneers won their first match of the week 13-9 against Mount Holyoke in the NEWMAC tournament. They fell to Wellesley 21-8 on April 14.   

Mckenize Hessel ’15 scored seven goals against Mount Holyoke. The early stages of the match remained unpredictable as the teams played neck and neck, neither one leading the other by more than a goal. Just over three minutes into the second stanza, Hessel scored three goals, giving the Pioneers a 7-5 lead.

The Lyons were not left far behind as they caught up in the second period, bringing the scoreboard to 7-7. The Pioneers then proceeded to score four consecutive goals and continued to lead for the rest of the game.

Both the goalkeepers kept the game going, with Smith’s Alina Pechacek ’13 saving seven goals, and Mount Holyoke’s Liz Malenfant stopping 12 of Smith’s shots.

Becky Bracken ’14 contributed four goals to Smith’s victory, while Meaghan Fileti ’12 and Jessica Lillquist ’15 scored a goal apiece.

The next game saw Wellesley College beating the Pioneers in a 21-8 victory.

Like the last match, this game started off with neither team taking a clear lead, as Wellesley stayed just ahead of Smith. The Blues then picked up pace and ended the first half with a 7-1 scoring run. While Hessel scored three goals for the Pioneers, the Blues’ Brit Msciz shot five goals in the first half of the game.

The gap between the scores increased in the second half as Wellesley scored a consecutive five goals, taking the score to 16-4. Smith scored four goals with Fileti’s help before the game ended at 21-8. Wellesley’s Tya Logan saved ten of Smith’s goals in thirty-eight minutes, while Smith’s Pechacek saved sixteen of Wellesley’s goals.

At the end of the game, Smith was at 7-6 overall and 2-3 in the NEWMAC. Smith will play UMass Dartmouth tonight at 7 p.m.