Baltimore, Md. --- No. 22 WPI Field Hockey concluded its historic season in the second round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship versus hosts No. 2 Johns Hopkins, 6-0, at Homewood Field on Saturday morning.
The Engineers, recently ranked 22nd in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the National Power Index (NPI) rankings, wrap up their season at 15-6 overall after earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament following the program's first appearance in the NEWMAC Championship in the NEWMAC era. Johns Hopkins moves to 20-1 overall as the Blue Jays advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals to be played tomorrow at Homewood Field versus No. 9 Middlebury as the Panthers defeated No. 8 Endicott in the nightcap, 3-2.
Johns Hopkins opened the scoring for the match at the 3:22 mark as
Zoey Bennett (New Canaan, CT) slipped a ball by WPI's
Myles Lakin (Reading, Mass.) after redirecting a ball from
Sophia Albano(Pittsford, N.Y.). WPI responded with their best bid of the afternoon off a penalty corner opportunity inserted by sophomore
Emma Barton (Hopewell Junction, N.Y). and hit into the circle by sophomore
Ella Reeners (Windham, NH) as
Madeline Chase (Danvers, MA) trapped and struck at goal before getting steered away by Johns Hopkins' Aubrey Kilgore (Schwenksville, PA) at 14:05.
The hosts took advantage of penalty corners in the second frame as
Deedee Golla (Oak Park, Ill.) tipped in a ball from
Jenna Halpin (Locust Valley, NY) to extend the lead to two.
Grace Waldeck (Concord, Mass.) received a ball from
Megan Chang (Houston, TX) from a clean look at goal for the final tally of the first half.
Johns Hopkins continued the put the pressure on with back-to-back strikes on frame that were kept away by Lakin to open the third quarter before a penalty stroke was called on the pitch in favor of the Blue Jays, which led to a first-career goal for
Sarah Chilton (Henrico, Va.) for a 4-0 lead. The Blue Jays worked the ball around the circle, finding
Sophia Builione (Short Hills, NJ), who fought through the WPI defense and rocketed a shot towards the far side of the cage. JHU marked its final tally with 7:59 remaining from a penalty corner opportunity inserted by
An Tran (Ashburn, Va.) as she ripped a ball into the arc, finding
Grace Nockolds (Houston, Texas), who tipped in the final goal.
The first trip back to the NCAA Tournament in decades bookends the playing career of graduate student
Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) and six seniors
Eve Martineau (Greene, ME),
Leah Uglevich (Maynard, MA),
Abbey Powers (Halifax, MA),
Lauren Coutu (Baldwinville, Mass.),
Arie Lang (West Hartford, Conn.) and
Shannon Miranda (Winchester, Mass.) which played a part in a 60-37 overall record and a 32-11 ledger in NEWMAC action over the last five seasons under the direction of head coach
Kim Cosenza.
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.