BABSON PARK, Mass. – No. 3 seed Wellesley College saw its season come to a close at No. 2 seed and No. 17 ranked Babson College in the NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship Semifinals on Thursday at MacDowell Field. Thursday marked Head Coach Callie Lekas' third trip to the NEWMAC Semifinals in seven seasons with the Blue (8-11).
Babson advanced to the finals where it will travel to top seeded MIT on Saturday, November 7.
Sophomore Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas) did as much as possible to limit the scoring, making 14 saves and limiting the Beavers (14-6) to just two goals on 27 penalty corners. Simmonds is now ninth in program history in career saves with 236.
Babson scored five minutes into the game when senior Emma Smith (Kenilworth, Ill.) scored on a penalty corner. Junior Taylor Shoflick (Greenwood Village, Colo.) sent the ball in to senior Grace Mullaney (Boxford, Mass.), who laid down the box to set up Smith's shot.
Wellesley's brick wall defense held tough against a barrage of shots, not allowing the Beavers to score again until late in the third quarter. Sophomore Kayla Rice (Walpole, Mass.) finally found an opening with a well-placed flick.
Babson tacked on its third goal when Smith scored once again midway through the fourth, assisted by Mullaney.
