CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 24 MIT held No. 2 seed U.S. Coast Guard Academy scoreless until early in the third quarter en route to a 12-5 victory in the NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse Championship on Saturday afternoon at Jack Barry Field. The Engineers captured the program's second consecutive title and third overall and will be making their fifth appearance in the upcoming NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.
 
Pauline Vien was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row after her stellar performances throughout the week. In addition, Nina Petulla received the Laurels of Academic Excellence Award, which honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the NEWMAC Championship.
 
Annica Lam put MIT on the scoreboard first when she connected on a pass from Ashley Thomas for a player advantage goal at the 7:53 mark. Lam buried an unassisted goal just over two minutes later and then Nina Petulla gave the Engineers a 3-0 lead with 1:39 to go in the opening frame.

Samantha Moorhead increased the cushion with a free position goal after 2:45 had elapsed in the second quarter. The Lam-Thomas connection returned with 9:29 on the clock, producing a player-down goal and a 5-0 lead, which stood entering halftime.

MIT kicked off the third quarter with a player-advantage goal from Lam that was set up by Thomas after 58 seconds had elapsed. Abby McAllister ended the shutout at the 12:43 mark; however, MIT responded with back-to-back goals in a span of 1:27 as Thomas was a factor in both. First, she earned an assist on a blast by Petulla, and then she redirected a feed from Gwen Flusche, making the score 8-1. McAllister replied with a pair of goals just 49 seconds apart midway through the period, but Thomas converted a free-position goal with 1:47 remaining.

A player advantage goal from Petulla at 1:42 into the fourth quarter completed the hat trick and helped Thomas break the program record for assists in a season. The previous mark was 68, which she set last season.

Coast Guard ended its scoring drought when Isabella Judge found McAllister at the 7:49 mark. A minute later, Jillian Butler converted her free position attempt for the hosts, making the score 11-4. Elizabeth Pearcy quickly tallied a player advantage goal courtesy of a pass from McAllister, but Lam capped the scoring with another player advantage goal that was set up by Thomas with 2:59 remaining.

Thomas amassed two goals and six assists while Lam finished with five goals and two draw controls. Petulla notched three goals as Butler collected three draw controls.

Vien totaled 12 saves and five groundballs while Mairin Anderson registered five caused turnovers and three groundballs.

McAllister ended the day with four goals, one assist, three caused turnovers, and two groundballs.

Rowan Walsh and Judge both produced two caused turnovers as Ella Campbell collected three draw controls and two groundballs.

In net, Kailee Heron tallied six saves, four groundballs, and one caused turnover.

MIT will learn the location and its opponent for the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Lacrosse Championship when the tournament field is announced in a selection show on Monday, May 4 at 10:30 Eastern on www.ncaa.com.

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.