Lyons Defeat MIT in Regular Season Finale

Senior Hailey Colburn (Concord, N.H./Concord) and sophomore Charlotte DeSantis (Darien, Conn./Darien) each scored four goals to lead the Wheaton College women's lacrosse team to a 17-9 win over MIT in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action Saturday morning at Steinbrenner Stadium.

Senior Katie Powers (Ashburnham, Mass./Cushing Acdemy) and junior Amy Moreira (Bristol, R.I./Mount Hope) each added two goals and an assist for the Lyons (12-5, 4-2 NEWMAC), who reached the 12-win plateau for the first time since 2004. Additionally, their four NEWMAC wins is the most since 2006 when they went 5-1 and gives them the No. 3 seed in the NEWMAC Tournament.

Freshman Melanie Sharick (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) added a pair of goals for Wheaton while senior Sydney Ferguson (Jamestown, R.I./North Kingstown) went for a goal  and two assists. Ferguson recorded a team-high four draw controls and Powers collected four ground balls.

The Lyons jumped out to a 3-1 lead 12 minutes in behind goals from Colburn, Powers, and sophomore Devon Soucier (Avon, Conn./Northwest Catholic). The team alternated the next seven goals before markers from DeSantis at 2:35 and Ferguson at 1:47 sent the Lyons into halftime with a 9-5 lead. Wheaton outshot the Engineers 22-8 through the first 30 minutes and saw four student-athletes record two-or-more points: Colburn, DeSantis, Ferguson, and Powers. Senior Katie Kaufmann (Olney, Md./Sherwood) tallied four points (2-2-4) to pace MIT.

Wheaton opened the second half by scoring three of the first four goals to extend its lead to 12-6. DeSantis tallied twice and assisted on Col burn's third marker of the afternoon. Junior Meghan Wright (Devon, Pa./Conestoga) potted a pair in the opening 10 minutes for MIT, the second of which brought the Engineers to within five (12-7). The Lyons answered with four-straight goals (Colburn, Sharick, Moreira, Powers) to stretch their lead to 16-7 with 10 minutes to go.

Freshman Katy Ananian (Belmont, Mass./Belmont) picked up her 11th win of the season, which ties her with A.J. Vasiliou (2002-05) for the second-highest single season total in program history. Colburn's six points, meanwhile, brings her season total to 111 (75 G, 36 A), which is one shy of Therese Ross (1983-86) for the single-season points record at Wheaton (112). Ross scored 97 goals and dished out 15 assists in 1986.

Wright finished with four goals for the Engineers while Kaufmann had points (2-2-4) and junior Laura Wacker (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) scored twice. Sophomore Sarah Ritter (The Woodlands, Texas./American School of the Hague) made 12 saves as the Lyons outshot MIT 42-14.

The Lyons return to action next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. when they face No. 2 Springfield in one NEWMAC Semifinal at Babson Park.