The Wheaton College field hockey team dropped an 11-2 decision to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Tuesday at Barry Field.
The Lyons fell to 3-11 on the season and 0-6 in league play, while the Engineers, who are receiving votes in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll, improve to 13-2 and 6-1.
MIT tallied nine consecutive goals, including eight by halftime, before Wheaton found the back of the cage. Junior Jenna Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) scored both of the Lyons' goals in the second half.
At 50:16, Rocha converted a feed from sophomore Sarah McNicholas (Boxboro, Mass./Acton-Boxboro Regional). After the Engineers made the score 10-1 in the 52nd minute, Rocha registered her team-leading ninth goal with 5:04 remaining.
Wheaton junior Ellie Massengill (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) took the loss in the cage after turning aside 19 MIT shots, while the Engineers used three different goalies. Sophomore Jenna Klein (Parma, Ohio/Gilmour Academy)earned the win with a pair of saves in the opening half.
The hosts finished with a 43-7 advantage in shots and an 11-1 edge in penalty corners.
On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Wheaton hosts league foe Babson College, which is also receiving national votes in the NFHCA poll.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.