Field Hockey Outlasts Wheaton, 1-0, In Overtime

Courtesy of Wheaton College Sports Information

NORTON, Mass. - Freshman Kimberly Barker scored 2:45 into overtime to lift MIT past Wheaton College, 1-0 on Tuesday in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) field hockey contest on Clark Field during the Lyons' regular season home finale.
 
Wheaton received 19 saves from senior keeper Andrea Bagley and a pair of defensive stops by teammates, as the Blue and White limited an offense that entered the contest averaging nearly four goals. The Lyons slipped to 5-10 overall and 1-5 in the league, as each of their last five losses have come by a single goal. MIT improved to 12-4 and 3-3, recording its highest overall win total since 1998.
 
Senior midfielder Alex Block and sophomore back Bonnie Davies each made defensive saves for the Lyons, while MIT junior keeper Keri Dixon collected four saves in net. The Engineers held advantages of 28-5 in shots and 11-8 in penalty corners.
 
MIT had a handful of chances early in the contest, firing off four consecutive shots during one sequence in the fifth minute, but Bagley saved each attempt. Wheaton junior Jessica Strock had her team's best opportunity in the opening period but was stopped by Dixon with fewer than two minutes remaining.
 
Wheaton's defense continued to come up big in the second half, as Block made a defensive save of senior Ekavali Mishra's shot in the 41st minute before Bagley denied a point-blank shot from the middle of the circle at 47:40.
 
During the 52nd minute, Strock deflected freshman Gillian Mann's hit just right of the cage, and Bagley came up with a big save at the other end moments later, rushing out to stop a shot by sophomore Kameron Klauber. Classmate Anna Teruya later swept a back-hander toward the right post, but Davies recorded a defensive stop at 53:30.
 
Strock had a pair of shots stopped by Dixon with a little more than eight minutes to go in regulation, and the teams headed to overtime. On MIT's third corner of the extra period, the Engineers cycled the ball to the right side of the circle and Barker, who whiffed on an attempt before knocking in the winning marker, with Bagley rushing out to deny a try.
 
Wheaton hits the road for its final two regular season contests, beginning on Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. game against Smith College at Enrico Fermi High School in Connecticut. MIT will host Mount Holyoke College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in its final home game of the regular season.