No. 15 MIT Escapes With 2-1 Overtime Win Over Clark
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 15 MIT 2, Clark University 1 (OT)
- Records: No. 15 MIT (11-0-0, 3-0-0 NEWMAC); Clark University (5-3-1, 1-1-1 NEWMAC)
- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Clark Soccer Field)
- The Lead: MIT senior Olivia Struckman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) found the back of the net off a long pass by freshman Maya Nielan (Danville, Calif.) just 41-seconds into the first overtime period as the undefeated and No. 15 nationally-ranked Engineers edged Clark University, 2-1, on Friday night in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match in Worcester.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Clark took the ball on the opening kickoff of the first overtime session, but the strong MIT defense earned a throw in on its side of the field to put the Engineers in scoring position. Nielan threw the ball into sophomore Chessa Hoekstra(Portland, Maine), who in turn passed it back to Nielan. Nielan then sent a high pass to the opposite side of the field where Struckman was waiting. Struckman turned towards the goal and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net to secure the 2-1 overtime win against the Cougars.
- On top of her game winner, Struckman also gave MIT its first goal of the game in the 24th minute. Hoekstra crossed the ball on the ground to Struckman, who was driving towards the net at the top of the box and deposited her fifth goal of the season as the Engineers jumped out to the 1-0 advantage.
- Clark was awarded a penalty kick in the 37th minute as Eliza Meltzer evened the game at 1-1 when she lined the ball into the left side of the net after it deflected off the outstretched diving Lily Mueller (Lakeville, Minn.). That is where the score would stay through the second stanza until Struckman gave the Engineers the win 41-seconds into overtime.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- MIT outshot Clark by a 36-9 margin and held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
- Mueller improved to 10-0-0 this fall as she made six saves and allowed one goal in between the pipes for the Engineers, while Clark keeper Julianna Christy (1-2-0) stopped the ball 12 times on 14 shots faced this evening.
- With the win, MIT broke the record for the longest win streak in program history which was originally set at ten back during the 2014 season. Additionally, the Engineers are now one game shy of tying the longest unbeaten streak, which is currently at 12 - a feat accomplished by both the 2013 and 2014 teams.
- Struckman's pair of goals marked her fifth and sixth of the season as well as her fifth career multi-goal game.
UP NEXT:
- MIT is off until next Friday, October 6 when the Engineers host Mount Holyoke College for a NEWMAC match set for 7:00 p.m., while Clark heads to Springfield College on Tuesday, October 3 for a league matchup with the Pride at 7:00 p.m.
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