Last Week’s Results
Tuesday, October 27               Women’s Soccer 3, Babson 1
                                             Field Hockey 3, Babson 2
                                             Springfield 3, Volleyball 2
 
Wednesday, October 28          Westfield State 4, Men’s Soccer 3
 
Thursday, October 29              Volleyball 3, Becker 0
 
Saturday, October 31              Hobart 41, Football 20
                                             Wheaton 2, Men’s Soccer 0
                                             Volleyball 3, Wheaton 2
                                             MIT 4, Women’s Soccer 0 (NEWMAC Quarterfinals)
                                             Springfield 5, Field Hockey 1 (NEWMAC Quarterfinals)
                                             Men’s Cross Country - 4th Place at NEWMAC Championships
                                             Women’s Cross Country - 6th Place at NEWMAC Championships
                                             Men’s Swimming and Diving 164, Wheaton 118
                                             Brandeis 154, Men’s Swimming and Diving 130 (at Wheaton)
                                             Wheaton 207, Women’s Swimming and Diving 86
                                             Brandeis 162, Women’s Swimming and Diving 127 (at Wheaton)
 
 
Men’s Athlete of the Week
Dan Duffty - Men’s Cross Country - Senior - Haverhill, MA
Senior Men's Cross Country runner Dan Duffty is the WPI Men’s Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 1st. Duffty ran to a 12th-place finish at the NEWMAC Championships held at MIT on Saturday morning.  The senior co-captain was WPI's top runner with a time of 27:10 and his 12th place finish earned him a coveted all-NEWMAC selection in his final campaign with the Engineers. Duffty’s effort led the Crimson and Gray to a fourth place team finish at the NEWMAC Championships.

 


Women’s Athlete of the Week
Vicky Hewey - Women’s Cross Country - Freshman - Sanford, ME
Freshman Women's Cross Country runner Vicky Hewey is the WPI Women’s Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 1st. Hewey crossed the finish line first for the Engineers with her 10th-place finish in 19:39, good enough for all-NEWMAC honors in her freshman season. The freshman’s showing paced a Engineers effort that earned a sixth-place finish overall at the NEWMAC Championships at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday.

                        


This Week’s Games
Tuesday, November 3            Volleyball at Wellesley (NEWMAC Quarterfinals)                7:00
 
Wednesday, November 4       MIT at Men’s Soccer  (NEWMAC Quarterfinals)                   7:00
 
Friday, November 6               Volleyball in NEWMAC Semifinals                                     TBA
                                              
Saturday, November 7           Men’s Soccer in NEWMAC Semifinals (at Babson)              10:30am
                                            Football at Susquehanna                                                1:00
                                            Swimming and Diving at Keene State                              1:00
                                            Volleyball in NEWMAC Championship                               TBA
 
 
Football (3-5 overall, 0-5 Liberty League)
Hobart scored five rushing touchdowns as the visiting Statesmen to a 41-20 triumph over WPI in WPI's annual homecoming game on Saturday afternoon. The Engineers fell to 3-5 and 0-5 in conference play. Up 21-14 at the half, Hobart scored two unanswered touchdowns on its first two drives of the third quarter to pull away to the win. After the Hobart defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, its offense embarked on a 14-play drive to paydirt to take a 7-0 lead. The Statesmen moved the ball 60 yards on the scoring drive, capped by a 15-yard TD run. The lead would not last long however, as WPI responded with an 80-yard drive on its next possession to tie the score. After WPI ran the ball for the first five plays of the drive, Engineers QB Mike Swanton (Foxboro, MA) connected on a 26-yard completion with senior WR Cody McGregor (Westfield, MA) and a 30-yard catch-and-run with senior RB Aaron Champagne (Fairfield, ME) to even the game at 7-7. The Statesmen also started the second quarter with a long scoring drive. Hobart ran 12-plays covering 59 yards for a 14-7 lead. WPI would tie the game once again, this time following a Hobart turnover. The Engineers needed to go only 17 yards before Champagne punched in the tying touchdown from one yard out, knotting the score at 14 apiece with 2:22 to go in the half. Unfortunately for WPI, that left enough time for the Statesmen to answer back and take a 21-14 lead at the break. After WPI started the second half by going three-and-out, Hobart capped off a six-play scoring drive with its third touchdown on the ground. Then, following a second straight three-and-out by the Engineer offense, Hobart put together a five-play drive that culminated in a 37-yard TD pass that stretched its lead to 21. WPI responded with its longest drive of the season to cut the deficit, as the Crimson-and-Gray traversed 99 yards in 16 plays before Swanton scored on a three-yard run. Hobart blocked the ensuing PAT, as the score remained 35-20. Hobart would not allow a WPI comeback however, tacking on a late TD on an 11-yard run that gave the Statesmen their final points in their 41-20 road win. On the home sideline, Swanton had an 11-for-26 day for 160 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mitch McClune (Pembroke, MA) and Ernie Mello (Wilmington, MA) ran for 59 and 51 yards, respectively. The Engineers' R.C. Grady (Shirley, MA) led all WPI receivers with four catches for 59 yards. Michael Oliveri (Milford, MA) was a bright spot on defense for WPI, recording a game-high 15 tackles and the Engineers' only sack of the game. The junior earned the Bob Pritchard Award as the Most Outstanding Back while Justin Pollard (Taunton, MA) and Stan St. Juste (Everett, MA) shared the honor as the Most Outstanding Lineman for WPI. WPI will travel for its last road game of the season, when it takes on Susquehanna Saturday at 1pm.

 
Men’s Soccer (9-6-1 overall, 2-3-1 NEWMAC)
Men’s Soccer fought through an 0-2 week, falling to both Westfield State and Wheaton to close out the regular season. On Wednesday, Westfield State scored three second-half goals to rally for a 4-3 victory over WPI. WPI jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Mike Ford (Whitman, MA) and Sean Galligan (Weymouth, MA). Westfield scored with 52 seconds remaining in the first half, but WPI responded with a quick goal with nine seconds remaining in the first half by senior Tyler Carroll (Andover, MA), who scored his first career goal. The Owls dominated second-half play, out-shooting the Engineers, 12-3. Westfield notched goals in the 65th minute and the 69th minute before tallying the game-winning goal in the 85th minute off a nice cross pass from the right side past a defender in the box that was fired past the right post. The Engineers then fell 2-0 to regionally-ranked Wheaton College on Saturday in the regular season finale for both teams. Wheaton scored its goals in the 69th and 76th minutes, respectively, as the Lyons controlled play throughout with advantages of 17-2 in shots and 9-2 in corner kicks. Wheaton's defense kept the WPI offense at bay, limiting the Engineers to one shot during the flow of play, as the other WPI attempt came off a first-half penalty kick.  The Lyons posted their 10th shutout. Junior Paul Moan (Watertown, MA) turned aside four shots for the Engineers. After the hosts took the game's first eight shots by the 40th minute, the Engineers were awarded a penalty kick with 4:02 to go in the opening half.  However, the attempt sailed over the crossbar, and the teams entered the intermission scoreless.  Early in the second half, WPI senior Dominic DeChiara (Kingston, MA) ripped a 30-yard shot toward the upper middle netting, but this time the shot was pushed over the crossbar by the keeper. WPI will open the NEWMAC Tournament at home on Wednesday with a quarterfinal contest.  The fourth-seeded Engineers will host fifth-seeded MIT at 7pm.

 
Women’s Soccer (8-11 overall, 4-5 NEWMAC)
Women’s soccer picked up an upset win over regionally-ranked Babson in its NEWMAC regular-season finale on Tuesday before falling to MIT in the opening round of the conference tournament on Saturday. Against the Beavers, Hailey Taylor (Colusa, CA) notched a goal and an assist to lift the host Engineers to the 3-1 win. Taylor got WPI on the board 15 minutes into the match when she netted her first goal of the season on a direct kick from just over 30 yards out.  The Engineers extended their lead to 2-0 when Kristen Garza (Kingston, MA) dribbled past the Babson defense and tucked the ball past the goalie with just over four minutes left before halftime.  The goal was Garza's team-leading 13th of the year (second most in the NEWMAC) and the 38th of the junior's career. The Crimson and Gray got a key insurance marker in the 77th minute.  Taylor's corner kick deflected off the Babson goalkeeper and was headed into the net by senior Liz Tuite (Hopkinton, MA) for her second goal of the season.  The Beavers got on the scoreboard in the 85th minute. Babson, ranked sixth in the initial NCAA New England Division III rankings released last Wednesday enjoyed a 12-9 edge in shots and took six of the game's 10 corner kicks. Rebecca Newman (Howell, NJ) picked up the win in net for WPI.  The freshman recorded two saves en route to leveling her record this season at 7-7.  The Engineers moved on to the NEWMAC Tournament, where MIT's Engineers came up with a 4-0 victory over those from visiting WPI on Saturday. From the start, the game's most-significant factor, the wind, took control of the ball and retained possession of it throughout most of the match. Sustaining speeds of twenty mph and gusting to well over thirty, windy conditions wreaked havoc on the players' ability to control the ball. Dozens of on-target shots and passes were torn drastically amiss as both teams struggled to adapt to mother-nature's contributions. With the wind in their faces, the MIT Engineers controlled their uphill battle throughout the first half. With less than nine minutes to play, MIT slipping the ball into the WPI net for an early 1-0 edge at half. Coming out of the break with the lead, MIT was re-energized, pushing with the wind instead of against it. MIT would tally three goals in less than a five-minute span to pull away to the four-goal victory. WPI's Kristen Garza (Kingston, MA) and Suzanne Najem (Derry, NH) worked the front to try to break the shutout, and though they managed to break the defensive line several times, their efforts were shut down by the ever-present wind and the combined efforts of the MIT goalkeepers. WPI (8-11-0, 4-5-0), who was 2-6-1 in NEWMAC play last year, finished with the most-improved record in the conference and looks to develop further in the off-season.

 
Field Hockey (11-6 overall, 5-3 NEWMAC)
Field Hockey wrapped up its regular season with a stunning 3-2 win over Babson before falling to Springfield in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament. Against Babson, junior Meghan Linskey (Bridgewater, MA) scored the game-winning goal with 3:56 left in regulation to lift the visiting WPI field hockey team to the win at Babson on Tuesday night. Babson dominated the majority of the contest, recording a 34-8 shot advantage overall and 22-6 in shots on goal. The Beavers also had 21 penalty corners to WPI's three, but the Engineers came away with the victory thanks to some timely offense and the magnificent play of senior goalkeepers Allie Griffin (Billerica, MA) and Elizabeth Ray (Simsbury, CT). Griffin started and made seven saves in the first half, while Ray entered the game to start the second half and stopped 11 shots. WPI also received two critical defensive saves early in the second half from senior back Kelly Johnson (Buxton, ME). WPI took a 1-0 lead early on, as sophomore Celena Dopart (Washington, DC) put back a rebound of Linskey's shot off the left post for her third goal of the season at 5:29. That lead would last only seven minutes, however, as Babson junior Sarah Fredlund scored her 20th goal of the year off her own rebound at 12:37. The Engineers went back in front in the 26th minute of play, as Johnson took a penalty corner insertion from first-year Maggie Wigley (Bridgewater, MA) at the top of the circle and hit a rocket that glanced off a defender's stick and inside the right post at 25:35. It was the senior back's team-leading 10th goal of the season and it gave the Engineers a 2-1 lead that they would carry into the break. Johnson made two big defensive saves on shots by Babson forwards just 20 seconds apart in the opening seven minutes of the second stanza, but the Beavers' offensive onslaught eventually broke through when they swept a shot past Ray from the left side off a pass from the top of the circle on one of Babson's 12 second-half penalty corners. However, that would prove to be the Beavers' final goal of the contest, as Ray made eight of her 11 saves in the final 13 minutes of regulation to keep the hosts off the board. Linskey finally secured the game-winner for WPI with just under four minutes remaining, as she took a pass from Johnson on the right side and knocked a shot past the Babson keeper at 66:04. Babson would manage one more penalty corner and two more shots on net in the final three minutes, but Ray turned away both bids to preserve the 3-2 win. In its NEWMAC Tournament contest, the difference in the game proved to be Springfield's offense at the start of the second half. After a 1-1 end to the first half, the Pride pumped in three goals in the opening 9:27 of the second half to blow open the game. The Pride spurt began just 4:38 into the second half as they netted what would prove to be the game winner. After a scramble in front of the cage, Springfield would score its third goal of the game only 88 seconds later. WPI got on the board when Jackie McDonough (Winchester, MA) found the back of the cage with 10:28 remaining in the first half. Ray was credited with the loss as she entered the game at the start of the second half and gave up three goals on the first three shots she faced. Griffin played 58 minutes between the pipes and made 14 saves for the Engineers, who await word on a possible ECAC bid to continue their season.
 
 
Volleyball (22-7 overall, 3-6 NEWMAC)
Volleyball put together a 2-0 week last week, earning a spot in the upcoming NEWMAC Tournament. The Engineers earned a 3-0 win over Becker on Thursday night before narrowly besting Wheaton, 3-2, to earn the final spot in the conference tournament. Against the Hawks, eight different WPI players tallied multiple kills en route to the 25-10, 25-14, 25-9 road win. Freshmen Belinda Nwagbara (Santa Rosa, CA) and Elyssa Dorenfeld (Reading, MA) paced the Engineer offensive attack with five kills each while Deanna Flaherty (Millbury, MA) chipped in with four and Bailey Sarber (Westerly, RI) and Alyssa Fidanza (Ellington, CT) both added three.   As a team, the Crimson and Gray sported a hitting percentage of .368, totaling 30 kills while making just eight errors in 57 attempts. The Engineers got a spark from their serving game as they totaled 14 aces on the night, led by five from Nwagbara and three from Sarber.  Nwagbara also led all the visitors with five digs while Jocelyn Close (Ellington, CT) and senior co-captain Becca Holmberg (Madison, CT) each notched four.   Kim Woodward (Clifton Park, NY) led all players with a game-best 22 assists. WPI then responded with a pivotal win over Wheaton on Saturday afternoon. Sarber tallied 19 kills and 16 digs to lift WPI to the thrilling win, qualifying the Engineers for the postseason for the first time since 2005. The victory improves WPI to 22-7 on the season (3-6 NEWMAC) and is the 100th career win for head coach Alex Temkin.  Holmberg also registered a double-double for the hosts, amassing 15 kills to go along with 15 digs. Nwagbara notched 11 kills to help the cause while Woodward handed out a game-best 45 assists.  Joan Porambo (Jim Thorpe, PA), who did not have a receiving error in 32 attempts, led all players with 28 digs. Prior to the game, Holmberg was honored along with fellow classmate Becca Mattern (Vernon, CT)  as part of Senior Day.  The Engineers earned the seventh seed in the NEWMAC Tournament and will travel to second-seeded Wellesley on Tuesday for a 7pm NEWMAC Tournament Quarterfinal match.
 
 
Men’s Cross Country
WPI Men's Cross Country ran to a fourth place finish at the NEWMAC Championships held at MIT on Saturday morning.  Host MIT won the meet with a total of 24 points, while WPI amassed 108. Senior Dan Duffty (Haverhill, MA) was WPI's top runner with a time of 27:10 and his 12th place finish earned him All-NEWMAC honors. Junior Lane Thornton (Richmond, VT) placed 25th overall (27:53) while senior Peter Brown (Haverhill, MA) was just a second behind in 26th (27:54). Other top finishers for WPI included Chris Gabrielson (Westford, MA) in 30th (28:01), Mario Christiner (Zurich, Switzerland) in 36th (28:22), Shane Ruddy (Seneca Falls, NY) in 40th (28:40) and Todd Alexander (Foxboro, MA) in 46th (28:55). The Crimson and Gray will be off next weekend before participating in the NCAA New England Regionals hosted by Southern Maine on Saturday November 14th.


Women’s Cross Country
WPI Women's Cross Country combined to finish sixth overall at the NEWMAC Championships at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday.  Host MIT was the overall meet winner with 18 points, while WPI posted 163. Vicky Hewey (Sanford, ME) crossed the finish line first for the Engineers with her 10th (19:39) place finish, good enough for all-NEWMAC honors in her freshman season. Junior Stacey Rauen (San Gabriel, CA) placed 28th (20:59).  Beth Hegarty (Springfield, MA) finished 38th (21:21) while Catherine Duffty (Haverhill, MA) was 63rd (22:10) and Anne Rocheleau (Shrewsbury, MA) 65th (22:14). Rounding out the top seven for the Crimson and Gray were Lori Corpuz (Redondo Beach, CA) and Danielle Volpe (Chelmsford, MA) in 85th (23:27) and 92nd (23:39), respectively. The Engineers will be off next weekend before participating in the NCAA New England Regionals hosted by Southern Maine on Saturday November 14th.

 
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Junior Mason Ruffing (Stone Mountain, GA) and sophomore Andrew Lybarger (Atlanta, GA) each won an individual event and added a relay victory to lead WPI to a tri-meet split with Brandeis and Wheaton at Wheaton on Saturday afternoon.  The Engineers won three of the meet's 16 events while adding nine second and seven third place finishes. Ruffing took top honors in the 100-yard backstroke (55.77), while Lybarger took home first in the 200-yard backstroke (2:05.63). The pair teamed up with Lee Chiang (Lexington, MA) and Eric Spazzarini (Enfield, CT) to win the 400-yard freestyle medley relay in 3:21.60. Lybarger also added second place finishes in both the 200-yard (2:01.80) and 100-yard (54.69) butterfly, and Chiang picked up second place in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.62) and 50-yard freestyle (22.47). Spazzarini was third in the 100-yard backstroke (57.94) and 200-yard IM (2:09.78) and second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:07.97), while Steve Rose (Worcester, MA) was third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.55) and 100-yard freestyle (51.61). Carl Curran (Keene, NH) was WPI's top finisher in the 1000-yard freestyle, taking third-place in 10:51.18. He also placed third in the 500-yard freestyle (5:10.65). Ruffing and Rose combined with Rob Cakounes (Chelmsford, MA) and Alford Green (Portmore, Jamaica) for a third-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay (1:46.37). Cullen O'Brien (Bar Harbor, ME) wrapped up a second-place showing in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing in 1:08.64. Dave Cancel (Chicopee, MA) had a good showing in the diving events, taking home second place in both the one meter (145.95) and three meter (140.25) dives. Men's Swimming and Diving will get back into the pool on Saturday when they travel to take on Keene State at 1pm.

 
Women’s Swimming and Diving
WPI's ‘A' relay team of Jess Lopez (Palmer, MA), Sarah Dinwoodie (East Greenwich, RI), Alana Aubin (Taunton, MA) and Kaitlyn Kelley (Salt Lake City, UT) took home a win in the 400-freestyle relay (4:03.17) and senior diver Morgan Guardino (Manchester, CT) picked up three second-place finishes to lead the Engineers in a tri-meet with Brandeis and Wheaton at Wheaton on Saturday afternoon. Guardino was second in the one meter (217.42) and three meter dives (219.45). The ‘B' relay team consisting of Toni LaBella (Warrick, RI), Colleen Heckley (Tyngsboro, MA), Guardino and Lauren Anderson (Bedford, MA) finished second to their teammates in the 400-freestyle relay (4:22.79). Freshman Heather Peruffo (Poughkeepsie, NY) recorded WPI's other top-three finish, a second-place showing in the 200-yard backstroke (2:20.74). Women's Swimming and Diving travels to Keene State on Saturday to face the Owls beginning at 1pm.