CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 24 MIT came within two goals on two occasions, the last with 8:24 left to play, but No. 15 Gettysburg College generated three consecutive goals before going on to secure a 13-9 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship on Sunday afternoon at Jack Barry Field.
Ashley Thomas and
Alexis Reinard both posted two goals and one assist for the Engineers while Julia Daly led the Bullets with four goals and two assists.
Gettysburg opened the game with five unanswered goals as Maddie Passarello found the back of the net after 1:50 elapsed, and then Daly followed with four goals in a row. Reinard ended the shutout courtesy of a solo effort with 3:11 left in the frame.
Passarello kicked off the second quarter with back-to-back goals, creating a 7-1 advantage at the 9:48 mark of the second quarter.
Annica Lam quickly buried a player-advantage free-position shot, while Reinard converted her free-position attempt with 4:38 to go before halftime.
Coming out of the break, Sarah Scollin increased the visitors' lead to 8-3 after 1:09 expired. A defensive battle ensued until Passarello redirected a feed from Riley D'Entremont with 3:38 on the clock. MIT ended its scoring drought on a solo effort from Lam and then trimmed its deficit to 9-5 when Reinard found
Nina Petulla for a player-advantage goal with 32 seconds to go.
The Engineers carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, scoring back-to-back goals in the first four minutes. Thomas notched a player-advantage goal, and then Petulla added an unassisted marker, bringing the hosts within 9-7. A player-advantage goal by Grace Battle created some breathing room for Gettysburg, but Thomas replied with one of her own to make the score 10-8 at the 8:24 mark.
Exactly 26 seconds later, Nina Marra connected on a pass from Daly, and then Passarello and D'Entremont both notched player-advantage goals at 5:19 and 5:01, respectively, increasing the cushion to 13-8.
Despite the deficit, MIT continued to attack as Thomas set up
Jillian Butler for a player-advantage goal with 3:16 remaining in regulation.
Lam and Petulla both scored twice as Butler added two groundballs and two caused turnovers.
Gwen Flusche posted three groundballs and three draw controls while
Eloise Shin contributed two groundballs and two caused turnovers.
In net,
Pauline Vien made 13 saves to go along with one groundball and one caused turnover.
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 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 21 sports.