The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference

BABSON PARK, Mass. - The Springfield College field hockey team claimed its fourth consecutive New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship on Sunday afternoon, as the fourth-seeded Pride defeated second-seeded Wellesley College, 3-0, in the conference finals at Babson College's MacDowell Field. With the win, Springfield, ranked 14^th in the nation by the NFHCA and first in the New England East region by the NCAA, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Springfield (19-3) dominated the first half of play, outshooting Wellesley (13-6) by a count of 14-5. However, the Pride managed just one goal in the period thanks to the outstanding goalkeeping of Wellesley junior Emily Hewitt (Alexandria, Va.), who stopped seven of the Pride's eight attempts on net to keep her team in the game. Hewitt's only blemish of the opening half came at 18:32, when she made a nice lunging kick save on a shot by Springfield senior Eileen Jenkins (Gorham, Maine) out of a scramble in front. The rebound bounced directly back to Jenkins, who fired it into the back right corner of the cage for the game's first goal.

Wellesley nearly tied the game at the 24-minute mark when sophomore Callie Lekas (Brewster, Mass.) fired consecutive shots from close range , but Springfield senior goalie Emma Kaplan (Ridgefield, Conn.) successfully saved the first and the second went just wide. Lekas then provided another great opportunity for the Blue with three minutes left in the period when she hit a rocket from a top of the circle toward the left post. However, the ball skipped just over the stick of first-year Madeline Block (Saratoga, Calif.) and out of bounds as she tried to redirect it on net.

Those would prove to be Wellesley's two best chances of the contest, as three of their five second-half shots were blocked by the Springfield defense and the other two went wide. Meanwhile, the Pride tacked on two more goals in the final 15 minutes, starting with Jenkins' second of the game at 56:39. On a Springfield penalty corner, senior Brittany Veazie (Dexter, Maine) eventually received the ball next to the cage on the right baseline and hit an immediate centering pass to Jenkins, who flicked a perfect shot over Hewitt's right leg and off the backboard to make it 2-0. Veazie then finished off the scoring with under four minutes remaining, as she took a pass from junior Allie Eisele (Walton, N.Y.) in front and ripped a shot into the lower right corner from 13 yards out at 66:17.

Hewitt was brilliant in net for Wellesley, finishing with 14 saves. Kaplan made one stop in goal for Springfield while making several nice clearing plays on loose balls in front.

2007 NEWMAC FIELD HOCKEY TOURNAMENT - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

#4 Springfield College vs #2 Wellesley College (Nov 04, 2007 at Babson Park, MA)

Springfield College (19-3) vs. Wellesley College (13-6)

Date: Nov 04, 2007 Attendance: 125

Goals by period 1 2 Tot

-------------------------------

Springfield College. 1 2 - 3

Wellesley College... 0 0 - 0

SCORING SUMMARY:

1. 18:32 SPR Eileen Jenkins (unassisted)

2. 56:39 SPR Eileen Jenkins (Brittany Veazie) - Penalty corner

3. 66:17 SPR Brittany Veazie (Allie Eisele)

Shots: Springfield College 24, Wellesley College 10

Saves: Springfield College 1 (Emma Kaplan 1), Wellesley College 14

(Emily Hewitt 14)
Defensive Saves: Wellesley 1 (Becca LeClerc 1)

#4 Springfield defeats #2 Wellesley, 3-0, to wins its fourth straight NEWMAC Championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Springfield Defeats Wellesley, 3-0, To Win Fourth Straight NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship