Marlborough, Mass. - November 5, 2026 - Top seeded MIT and second seeded Salve Regina University secured their spots in the 2026 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women’s Soccer Tournament Championship game following today’s semifinal results on their respective campuses. MIT was victorious by a 2-1 final over No. 4 WPI, while Salve Regina defeated No. 6 Babson, 3-2 in Newport.
MIT and Salve Regina will meet on Saturday for the NEWMAC title for the first time. The Engineers have won three straight conference championships and seven of the last eight titles dating back to 2017. The Seahawks, however, made their debut in the NEWMAC tournament this week and have forged their way to their first conference title game since joining the league in 2023.
Since the start of the 2017 season, MIT has played 19 home NEWMAC playoff games and including tonight’s result, the Engineers have surrendered just five goals overall and not more than one in those five contests. Earlier this season, MIT and Salve Regina met in Newport where the Engineers came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a 54th minute goal by Madelyn Popilek (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). In four meetings between the sides since 2023, MIT has outscored Salve Regina by a 13-1 margin.
Quarterfinal: Tuesday, November 3 (All Games at Higher Seed)
Game 1 - #1 MIT def. #8 Springfield, 3-0 - Box Score
Game 2 - #4 WPI def. #5 Wellesley, 0-0 (3-1 PKSO) - Box Score
Game 3 - #2 Salve Regina def. #7 Clark, 2-1 - Box Score
Game 4 - #6 Babson def. #3 Wheaton, 3-2 (OT) - Box Score
Semifinal: Thursday, November 5 (All Games at Higher Seed)
Game 5 - #1 MIT def. #4 WPI, 2-1 - Box Score
Game 6 - #2 Salve Regina def, #6 Babson, 3-2 - Box Score
Championship: Saturday, Novemer 7 (At Highest Remaining Seed)
Game 7 - #1 MIT vs. #2 Salve Regina - 1:00 pm
No. 1 MIT 2, No. 4 WPI 1
After a scoreless opening 55 minutes of play, Claire Zhang (Charlotte, N.C.) found the back of the net as her free kick from the left side of the box tucked into the near corner of the goal for the 1-0 edge. The score remained the same until Madeline Seebeck (San Antonio, Texas) recorded an insurance goal for Cambridge’s Engineers off a feed from Ayla Sumer (Dallas, Texas), which sent MIT back to the NEWMAC final. WPI was able to score a goal of its own as Abigail Johnson (Middletown, Conn.) buried an 84th minute penalty kick breaking MIT’s nine match shutout streak - a span of nearly 930 minutes of action. MIT held a 17-2 differential in shots and an 8-4 edge in corner kicks. WPI goalkeeper Ayla Verheul (Naarden, The Netherlands) made six stops in net tonight.
No. 2 Salve Regina University 3, No. 6 Babson College 2
Babson was awarded a penalty kick off a hand ball in the 11th minute where Priscilla-Rose Men-Martin (Rolling Hills Estates, California.) gave the Beavers an early 1-0 edge. It didn’t take long for Salve Regina to answer, however, as Tori Spadavecchia (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) and Sienna Mastroianni (Whitinsville, Mass.) tallied goals for the hosts just five minutes apart to forge ahead 2-1. Just three minutes out of the half time break, Carah Leclair (Bellingham, Mass.) buried Salve Regina’s third goal of the game putting the match out of reach of the Beavers. Izzy Lee (Phoenix, Ariz.) was able to cut into the hosts lead late, but it wasn’t enough as Salve Regina hung on for the 3-2 NEWMAC semifinal win. As a team, Babson held a decisive 31-18 differential in shots and an 8-7 edge in corner kicks. Salve Regina goalkeeper Sabrina Lawless (Milford, Conn.) made 13 saves to send the Seahawks to their first NEWMAC title game.
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with seven Associate Members: New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.