The MIT Women's Soccer Team (5-3, 1-0) got off to a strong start in NEWMAC conference play with a 5-0 drubbing of Mount Holyoke College (1-4, 0-1) on Saturday.
Played on a wet and overcast day in Holyoke, Massachusetts, MIT jumped out strong against Mount Holyoke controlling the run of play from kickoff right through the final whistle.
Freshman striker Liz Theurer put MIT up early in the match when she headed home a cross from junior striker Amy Ludlum. The goal proved to be the game winner, Liz's fourth game-winning goal of the year. Liz now has five goals on the year and a total of 11 points overall.
Liz's strike carried through to halftime, but the team came out strong in the second half, increasing the pressure on Mount Holyoke and quickly putting the game away. Amy continued with what would be a career day by recording a natural hat trick in about a 20-minute span -- her third, fourth and fifth goals of the
year.
Senior midfield Ashleigh Leonard put the exclamation on the victory with a lofted ball that sunk over Mount Holyoke College's goalkeeper into the back of the net with about 25 minutes to go in the contest.
Senior Andre Staid, junior Janine Hopmans, sophomores Kat Routhier and Andrea Bradshaw, and freshmen Katie Pesce and Julia Roberts all contributed significant minutes in the midfield, dominating possession and outpacing an overmatched Mount Holyoke College.
The defensive backline of senior captain Mary Harding, senior Chi-Fong Wang, junior Karen Davie and sophomore Jodie Wu continued to play strongly and organized, keeping Mount Holyoke College from creating any dangerous scoring chances and helping the team earn its fifth clean sheet of the season. The
backline was also excellent in helping the midfield switch the field and possess the ball, with Jodie and Karen getting forward, taking up space and serving up some dangerous balls. Mary also had several driven shots on net and helped set up Amy's first goal with an excellent service forward.
Freshman defender Erika Granger came off the bench in the second half and saw her first action of the season, contributing to the team's defensive effort with some great hustle and ball possession.
Senior captain Kat Vater earned her third shutout of the season with the victory.
***Player of the Match***
With two assists added to her three goals, Amy had a dominant day on the pitch wracking up a total of eights points. Amy now has 13 points on the season to pace the team. Her speed and ball control proved to be too much for Mount Holyoke and she controlled the attacking third of the field whenever she was in the game. Her first goal, drilled into the top of the net from a sharp angle left those on the bench wondering, "How did she even score that?". Her other two goals were excellent shots drilled past a Mount Holyoke goalkeeper who had no chance to stop them. Her two assists notched the first multiple-assist game for an MIT player this year. Player of the Match voting was unanimous in the huddle after the game.
***NEWMAC Player of the Week***
Congratulations to Amy for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week for her performance against Mount Holyoke College on Saturday. Amy's three goals and two assists for a total of eight points ties an MIT record for points in a game. She was recognized by the NEWMAC for having a hand in all five goals in the 5-0 win and for helping MIT top last year's win total with its fifth win of the season.
The MIT Women's Soccer Team next takes the field on Wednesday against non-conference foe Emerson College.