Marlborough, Mass. - November 3, 2026 - Wellesley and Smith were both successful in defending their home fields on the opening night of the 2026 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Field Hockey Championship Tournament. The third-seeded Blue topped sixth-seeded Springfield, while fourth-seeded Smith defeated fifth-seeded WPI, both by 2-1 final scores.
Quarterfinal: Tuesday, November 3 (All Games at Higher Seed)
Game 1 - #4 Smith def. #5 WPI, 2-1 - Box Score
Game 2 - #3 Wellesley def #6 Springfield, 2-1 - Box Score
Semifinal: Thursday, November 5 (All Games at Higher Seed)
Game 3 - #1 MIT vs. #4 Smith - 6:00 pm
Game 4 - #2 Babson vs. #3 Wellesley - 6:00 pm
Championship: Saturday, Novemer 7 (At Highest Remaining Seed)
Game 5 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
No. 3 Wellesley 2, No. 6 Springfield 1
Wellesley’s Caitlin Stratton (Wilbraham, Mass.) put the Blue ahead 1-0 just 2:11 into the second quarter off a feed from Madison Macciocca (West Chester, Pa.). Springfield forced Wellesley keeper Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas) to make a trio of saves in the first, but Simmonds stood her ground and kept the Pride off the scoreboard. The Blue took the one goal lead into halftime, but midway through the third, Springfield’s Maddie O’Brien (Franklin, Mass.) found the equalizer. The tie score didn’t last long, however, as Marguerite Greene (South Boston, Mass.) redirected a pass from Madeline Hamstra (Houston, Texas) to give Wellesley the lead back, 2-1. Springfield pulled Sam Orcutt (Forestdale, Mass.) out of the cage with around five minutes left in regulation and the Pride outshot the Blue 4-1 over the final 15 minutes of play, but Wellesley hung on for the 2-1 win to advance to the NEWMAC semifinal round for the second time in three seasons.
No. 4 Smith 2, No. 5 WPI 1
Smith and WPI met in Northampton for the second time in just four days and the same outcome happened in both contests. The Bears defeated the Engineers, 2-0, to cap the regular season on Saturday and then returned on Tuesday night for a 2-1 NEWMAC quarterfinal victory. Ava Cortis (Medway, Mass.) gave WPI a 1-0 lead just five minutes in despite Smith outshooting the Engineers 11-4 over the first half of action. Just 1:44 out of the halftime break, Malia Lockhart (Bethlehem, Pa.) found the equalizer. The score remained knotted at one until there were under three minutes left in the game. Anouk Bosket (Jordanstown, Northern Ireland) sent in a shot from the end line which was deflected in by the WPI defender into the cage for the game winner. Smith earned its first NEWMAC Tournament win since 2022 and will travel to top-seeded MIT on Thursday night at 6:00 pm for the semifinal round.
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.