Field Hockey 11/13/2025 10:35:36 AM WPI Earns First NCAA Field Hockey Win Since 1989 Owings Mills, MD -- Chloe Luongo (Amherst, N.H.) tallied the only goal of the game midway through the second quarter, and goalkeeper Myles Lakin (Reading, Mass.) posted double-digit saves for the seventh time this season as No. 22 WPI went on the road and upset No. 15 Stevenson 1-0 in an NCAA Division III Field Hockey first-round contest played late Wednesday evening. The victory was just the second all-time for the Engineers in school history and its first since a 4-0 triumph over Southern Maine in WPI's initial championship appearance back in 1989. The Crimson and Gray had reached three other tournaments in that era (1990, 1991, and 1993) but were eliminated in all four of those postseason seasons by one-goal losses before making their first NCAA appearance in 32 years this evening.  WPI is now 15-5 on the season and will remain in Baltimore for this weekend's second and third rounds of the 28-team tournament, squaring off with host and No. 2 Johns Hopkins on Saturday at 11 am. The other Round of 16 contest at Homewood Field Saturday features seven-time national champion and No. 9 Middlebury (a 6-0 winner Wednesday over Westfield State) and No. 8 Endicott (a 9-0 winner Wednesday over Keene State).    Stevenson, champions of the MAC Commonwealth Conference, was appearing in its first-ever NCAA Tournament, and saw its fine season come to an end with a school record 19 wins and only three defeats.  The hosts outshot the Engineers 4-1 in the opening quarter and took two of the session's three corners.  The Mustangs' best chance in the first was off a shot by Shae Bennett (Boiling Springs, Pa.) following Stevenson's first corner midway through the opening stanza that necessitated a diving save to Lakin's right.  The Mustangs also outshot the Crimson and Gray in the second quarter by an identical 4-1 margin, but WPI had the only shot on goal during the period and found paydirt with 6:16 to go before the half.  Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) stole the ball from a Mustang defender around the 25-yard line and sent a backhand towards the goal. The ball got past a Stevenson defender and onto the stick of Luongo. The junior collected the ball on the left side of the goal, dribbled towards the center of the cage, made a fake back to the left to draw the goalie down to the ground, and then swept a shot into the open goal for a 1-0 WPI lead that would hold up.  The host would ratchet up their attack after halftime, accounting for all 17 second-half shots and all seven penalty corners after intermission. Lakin and the WPI defense were up to the task, with the sophomore netminder recording six saves in the third quarter and a pair of stops in the fourth.  The Mustangs' best chance in the fourth quarter came following a penalty corner with 2:09 to go.   Kailen Hibshman (Richland, Pa.) had a shot blocked by WPI's Eve Martineau (Greene, Maine) and seconds later, Gracyn Catalano (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) had an initial shot saved by Lakin, and her subsequent rebound sailed wide left. Stevenson's last gasp came with 26 seconds remaining, but Catalano's bid went just right, and the Engineers were able to run out the clock and advance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 34 years. Lakin, who earlier in the day was named the NEWMAC's Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 12 saves, the most of any winning goalkeeper in the 12 first-round contests on Wednesday.  Meinhold joined Luongo with a shot for the Engineers, while Catalano, Hibshman, and Coco Wallace (Fredericksburg, Va.) all registered five shots.  Jordan Vradenburgh (Fairless Hills, Pa.) went all 60 minutes in net for the Mustangs. About the NEWMAC The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, 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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), 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 20 sports.  Â
Owings Mills, MD -- Chloe Luongo (Amherst, N.H.) tallied the only goal of the game midway through the second quarter, and goalkeeper Myles Lakin (Reading, Mass.) posted double-digit saves for the seventh time this season as No. 22 WPI went on the road and upset No. 15 Stevenson 1-0 in an NCAA Division III Field Hockey first-round contest played late Wednesday evening. The victory was just the second all-time for the Engineers in school history and its first since a 4-0 triumph over Southern Maine in WPI's initial championship appearance back in 1989. The Crimson and Gray had reached three other tournaments in that era (1990, 1991, and 1993) but were eliminated in all four of those postseason seasons by one-goal losses before making their first NCAA appearance in 32 years this evening.  WPI is now 15-5 on the season and will remain in Baltimore for this weekend's second and third rounds of the 28-team tournament, squaring off with host and No. 2 Johns Hopkins on Saturday at 11 am. The other Round of 16 contest at Homewood Field Saturday features seven-time national champion and No. 9 Middlebury (a 6-0 winner Wednesday over Westfield State) and No. 8 Endicott (a 9-0 winner Wednesday over Keene State).    Stevenson, champions of the MAC Commonwealth Conference, was appearing in its first-ever NCAA Tournament, and saw its fine season come to an end with a school record 19 wins and only three defeats.  The hosts outshot the Engineers 4-1 in the opening quarter and took two of the session's three corners.  The Mustangs' best chance in the first was off a shot by Shae Bennett (Boiling Springs, Pa.) following Stevenson's first corner midway through the opening stanza that necessitated a diving save to Lakin's right.  The Mustangs also outshot the Crimson and Gray in the second quarter by an identical 4-1 margin, but WPI had the only shot on goal during the period and found paydirt with 6:16 to go before the half.  Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) stole the ball from a Mustang defender around the 25-yard line and sent a backhand towards the goal. The ball got past a Stevenson defender and onto the stick of Luongo. The junior collected the ball on the left side of the goal, dribbled towards the center of the cage, made a fake back to the left to draw the goalie down to the ground, and then swept a shot into the open goal for a 1-0 WPI lead that would hold up.  The host would ratchet up their attack after halftime, accounting for all 17 second-half shots and all seven penalty corners after intermission. Lakin and the WPI defense were up to the task, with the sophomore netminder recording six saves in the third quarter and a pair of stops in the fourth.  The Mustangs' best chance in the fourth quarter came following a penalty corner with 2:09 to go.   Kailen Hibshman (Richland, Pa.) had a shot blocked by WPI's Eve Martineau (Greene, Maine) and seconds later, Gracyn Catalano (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) had an initial shot saved by Lakin, and her subsequent rebound sailed wide left. Stevenson's last gasp came with 26 seconds remaining, but Catalano's bid went just right, and the Engineers were able to run out the clock and advance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 34 years. Lakin, who earlier in the day was named the NEWMAC's Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 12 saves, the most of any winning goalkeeper in the 12 first-round contests on Wednesday.  Meinhold joined Luongo with a shot for the Engineers, while Catalano, Hibshman, and Coco Wallace (Fredericksburg, Va.) all registered five shots.  Jordan Vradenburgh (Fairless Hills, Pa.) went all 60 minutes in net for the Mustangs. About the NEWMAC The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, 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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), 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 20 sports.  Â