No. 16 MIT Shuts Out Smith, 6-0, To Remain Undefeated
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 16 MIT 6, Smith College 0
- Records: No. 16 MIT (9-0-0, 2-0-0 NEWMAC), Smith College (4-3-0, 1-1-0 NEWMAC)
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Roberts Field at Steinbrenner Stadium)
- The Lead: The MIT women's soccer team, ranked No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches Division III poll and No. 8 in the D3Soccer.com poll, extended their win streak to nine as the Engineers shut out Smith College, 6-0, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon in Cambridge.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- MIT got on the board just 98-seconds into the contest when freshman Maya Nielan (Danville, Calif.) headed the ball into the net off another great corner kick by sophomore Emily Berzolla (Riverside, Conn.). For Berzolla her assist marks her tenth this season, which is tied for first among all NCAA Division III women's soccer student-athletes in 2017. Two minutes later, junior Amy Apostol (Los Gatos, Calif.) doubled MIT's advantage after Smith keeper Shelby Hall turned the ball over right to Apostol's feet. Apostol took the ball and chipped it over Hall's head for the 2-0 lead just 3:46 into the game.
- Less than ten minutes removed for their second goal, the Engineers struck again. This time junior Shannon Miller (Pittsford, N.Y.) sent the ball to the feet of senior Olivia Struckman (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who shot it off the left post and into the back of the net for her fourth goal of the campaign. Prior to halftime, MIT scored once more as sophomore Chessa Hoekstra (Portland, Maine) found the back of the net off a great low cross by classmate Claire O'Callaghan (Sherborn, Mass.) for her seventh goal of the year.
- MIT would add two more goals in the second stanza to earn the 6-0 shutout victory over Smith this afternoon. In the 65th minute, sophomore Montana Reilly (Los Angeles, Calif.) sent the ball to junior Allie Hrabchak (Princeton, N.J.), who notched her sixth goal of the season and in the 85th minute Hoekstra registered her second goal of the game on a put back shot that was saved by Hall. The original attempt was made by sophomore Allie Werner (Tyler, Texas), who earned her fourth assist of the season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- MIT held a 36-1 advantage in shots and a 10-2 differential in corner kicks.
- MIT keeper Lily Mueller (Lakeville, Minn.) didn't make a save over the opening 73:58 of the game, but improved to 8-0-0 in between the pipes this fall for the Engineers. Classmate Chris Sacha (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) stopped the only shot attempted by Smith this afternoon in relief as she played the final 16:02 of the contest. Hall (4-3-0) made 11 saves for Smith before Julia Donovan made six more off the bench for the visitors over the final 16 minutes.
- With six goals and five assists for 17 points today, MIT now ranks second in the country in goals (41), second in assists (33) and second in points (115) this season. Only Greensboro College has the edge on MIT in all three offensive categories.
- MIT is also one of eight teams remaining in NCAA Division III women's soccer to still have a 1.000 winning percentage. The Engineers are joined by Lynchburg, TCNJ, Western Connecticut, Chicago, Hardin-Simmons, Williams and Webster to still hold the stat this fall.
- The Engineers earned their 17th win against Smith in the all-time series which dates back to 1985. The Pioneers hold a 19-17-2 advantage in head-to-head games with MIT.
UP NEXT:
- MIT wraps up its four game homestand on Tuesday, September 26 when the Engineers host crosstown rival Tufts University at 4:00 p.m., while Smith heads to Western New England University on Wednesday, September 27 for a non-conference match beginning at 4:00 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED:
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
