Field Hockey Upsets Clark in NEWMAC Quarterfinals, 2-0

Match Statistics | Tournament Bracket

WORCESTER, Mass. (Oct. 31, 2009) – The sixth seeded Mount Holyoke College field hockey team cruised to a convincing 2-0 triumph over third seeded Clark University in the Quarterfinal Round of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament this afternoon at Granger Field.

With their third straight win over the Cougars, the Lyons secured a spot in next Saturday’s NEWMAC Semifinals, where they will face off against second seeded MIT at 2:00 p.m. The Engineers advanced by way of a 3-0 victory over seventh seeded Babson College 3-0. Both Semifinal Round contests will be hosted by Wellesley.

Mount Holyoke will be making its first appearance in the NEWMAC Semifinals since the 2005 season, when they were bounced by Babson College 2-0. The Lyons will be looking to avenge a 7-1 setback that took place at MIT last Saturday.

Both teams went scoreless until the 17:14 mark, when sophomore forward Shara Robertson scored what proved to be the match winner off an assist from senior forward Mary Kate Switchenko. Robertson’s fifth winner of the season (seventh career) came as a result of penalty corner opportunity. It was her team leading 12th tally of the fall.

The guests then took advantage of another penalty corner chance in the early stages of the second stanza to put things away. This time, sophomore defender Tricia Chase set up classmate Jess Fajardo’s fourth goal of the year.

Mount Holyoke finished with edges in both shots (5-4) and corner chances (10-4). Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Gibson made two saves en route to her fifth shutout of the year and seventh of her career. At the other end, senior Kathryn Dawsey made three stops for Clark (9-7, 5-3 NEWMAC).