Brigit Mcdannell ’18
Sports Editor
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement for Pioneer fall sports. Smith’s hard work in practice paid off when the Pioneers competed against rival teams in the New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) fall sports championship games. Field hockey especially dominated the scoreboards as they competed against Springfield and Wellesley.
Field Hockey
Nov. 3 marked a monumental achievement for the field hockey team. The Pioneers advanced to the semifinals of the NEWMAC field hockey tournament with their stunning 5-0 shutout win over Springfield College.
Smith improved to 11-8 in the season and defeated Springfield for the second time in the team’s history.
Senior captain Casey Rau ’16 made the first goal as she took a pass from Beatrice Chaudoin ’19 at the top of the circle and forced it into the net about a minute and a half into the game. This was her first goal for the 2015 season.
“We scored in the first minutes on a corner so I think that really pumped the team up and got the energy flowing,” Rau told the Smith Athletics news team.
Both teams did not score for the remainder of the period, and the Springfield Pride outshot Smith 5-2. Springfield later received a yellow card. Smith took advantage of their man up situation on the field to score two more goals. The first was made by Julia Hamilton ’18 in the 47th minute where she made a quick shot from Springfield’s rebound. Elsie Odhiamno ’17 scored the second as she corralled a loose ball, bringing Smith to 4-0 advantage with 11:26 left on the clock.
Hamilton did it again when she netted her team-leading 11th goal of the season on a beautiful reverse sweep from the center of the circle to seal the win, making her one of the top scorers on the team.
Goalie Cameo Tietje ’18 made five saves and recorded her third shutout of the season.
Head Coach Jamie Ginsberg was proud that the team advanced to the semifinals. “I think the team played great; we were really hungry to show Springfield what kind of a game we play … It was amazing to have this many people on the sidelines filling the hill. The community really supported the game, and the energy that came from the crowd, we could feel it.” The game was the first playoff win for the Pioneers since the 2000 season and was the most scored in a NEWMAC playoff game this year.
The Pioneers faced the no. 2 seed, Wellesley College, on Nov. 7 at Babson’s field. Wellesley defeated Smith 1-2. Smith placed third overall in the NEWMAC seed.
Soccer
Soccer played well in their NEWMAC game but was ultimately eliminated from the NEWMAC quarterfinals round, playing against Wheaton College at Mirrione Stadium in Norton, Mass. on Nov. 3, ending the game with a score 0-2.
The Pioneers made multiple shot attempts, but Wheaton’s defense prevented them from getting on the board. Goalkeeper Shelby Hall ’18 totaled two saves for the Pioneers. Wheaton outshot Smith 5-4.
Cross Country
The Smith Cross Country team placed fourth in its NEWMAC conference run in Boston on Nov. 1. Leading for Smith, Kathleen Ferrell ’16 was the top finisher for the championship meet, placing 15th overall at 19:14.
The MIT Engineers took home the first place title for the ninth consecutive season. Wellesley College followed in second place with 37 points, while third place went to WPI with 117 points. Smith earned fourth place with 149 points. The top 14 finishers in Sunday’s five-kilometer earned NEWMAC All-Conference honors.
