CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Endicott field hockey team traveled to non-conference opponent MIT on Thursday evening. Senior Emily Sawchuck (Cumberland, Maine) tallied the game winning goal with 19 minutes to go in the second half to lift the Gulls to a 1-0 victory. The win is the first for Endicott against the Engineers since 1981.Endicott improves to 8-1 (3-0 CCC) while the Engineers suffer their first loss of the season to 6-1 (1-0 NEWMAC).
Endicott will see action next on Saturday, September 27th, when they host Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Salve Regina for a 1:00 p.m. start on North Field for Homecoming. The Engineers will play next on Saturday when they host conference opponent, WPI for a 12:00 p.m. start.
The first half was a battle of possession with MIT outshooting the Blue and Green 7-2. Sophomore goalkeeper Cheka Ventura (Lawrence, Mass.) was kept busy between the pipes as she was forced to make five big stops in the first 35 minutes of play.
Senior Alyssa Clark (Gorham, Maine) was stealthy at the center back position as she made an impressive three defensive saves in the first half. The first came in the opening minutes after Molly McNamara (Auburn, Mass.) ripped a shot at goal that Clark was able to step in front and deflect off the goal line.
Clark followed with two more defensive saves in the final minutes of the first half to help keep the hungry Engineers off the scoreboard to hold a scoreless game at the end of the half.
In the second half the Blue and Green came out playing some of their best field hockey of the season. Endicott played their defensive press for a strong 35 minutes making it difficult for the Engineers to get past the 50 which helped create offensive opportunities for Endicott as they outshot MIT 11-5.
After peppering junior goalkeeper Paige Kennedy (Eastchester, N.Y.) for 20 minutes the Blue and Green finally capitalized off their press earning a penalty corner which turned into the game winning goal. Sawchuck received a feed from senior Mackenzie Hurst (Gilford, N.H.) on the right post and tipped the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
With the stakes high and the Engineers eager to tie up the game as the clock was winding down the Blue and Green were working to keep the ball on the offensive end. However, the eager MIT squad finally poked through the 50 and forced four penalty corners in the final 10 minutes of play.
Freshman Emily Penn (Elkridge, Md.) almost made it a 1-1 score with less than six minutes to play after she blasted a shot across cage, but freshman Emylee Wood (Kensington, N.H.) ran through to the goal line and made the defensive save and carried the ball out of trouble.
MIT forced two penalty corners in the final seconds of the game but the Endicott defense held strong under the leadership of Clark and senior Elizabeth LeClair (Wilton, Maine) to secure the shutout victory.
Endicott has been playing the strong non-conference opponent, dating back to the 80's where Endicott tabbed their last win and have continued to stay competitive with the regional powerhouse. Tonight marked the first loss for the Engineers this season.
Ventura ended the game with her second shutout of the season compiling eight saves while Kennedy also walked away with eight in her first loss of the season.