Katerina Lopez ’16
Contributing Writer
Pioneers lacrosse had a strong showing this past week going 1-1 at home against the Simmons College Sharks and the Babson College Beavers. On April 10, Smith logged a 17-15 win over the non-conference Simmons team during a windy afternoon, despite being a player short throughout whole game. The Pioneers maintained control of the game from the opening whistle on, as they were only behind for three minutes of the first half. Smith’s points came from five different players showcasing the breadth of the scoring capabilities of the roster. The majority of Smith’s goals came from the trio of hat tricks known as Olivia Timmins ’16, and tri-captains Rachel Silveria ’16 and Jessica Lillquist ’15. Anne Zawacki ’17 lead the scorers and had a career high six goals and one assist to Petru Bester ’15 whose two goals rounded out Smith’s final score of 17. The Pioneers could have logged even more goals if it weren’t for three unlucky shots off the crossbar. Besides her three consecutive goals, Silveria led Smith to a draw control advantage with eight and was followed by Jenny Estes ’15 with five. The home team also outshot the opposition 39-28 on their way to victory.
Babson, NEWMAC’s number two team, traveled to Northampton on April 12. Going into Saturday’s game, Smith had not trumped Babson since 2001, and was still a player down. The Pioneers took the field hungry for a hard fight and it, from the start, was obvious to the thrilled home crowd. Although Babson scored first Smith, went point for point until 4-4 when the Pioneers gained and maintained a lead for several points. The first 20 minutes of the first half, when it held Babson at bay, showed just how strong the lacrosse team is. From strong quick passes to organized defensive measures and goals, the Pioneers showed the away team what they could do. Despite this, Babson managed to regain control in the last minutes of the first half, and never looked back. Smith’s leading scorer Lillquist led the home team with three goals to match her Tuesday hat trick. Estes logged two goals, while Timmons, Zawacki, Bester, and tri-captain Kate Detrick ’14 all provided singles. Smith once again outdrew the competition, finishing the game at 15-14, thanks in part to the work of Silveria who led all players with seven draw controls.
After Smith’s performance this past week they are now 2-4 on home turf, and maintain the NEWMAC lead in clears. They will next play fellow NEWMAC members Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday afternoon followed by their senior day on Saturday afternoon against Wheaton College.
