Box Score Click to listen to Coach Ginsberg's postgame comments

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--For the second straight game, the Smith College field hockey team needed overtime.  For the second straight game, Allie Stein (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) found the back of cage three times, including her second consecutive overtime game winner as the Pioneers won their second straight game, 5-4, over Western New England University on Thursday night.

Coming on the heels of a 4-3 overtime win over Clark University, Smith now has its first winning streak since September 2009, when the Pioneers notched consecutive wins over Elms College and Wilson College.  Smith improves to 4-8 with the win, while Western New England loses their third straight to fall to 4-11. 

Unlike the win against Clark, where Smith led early on, the Pioneers were forced to come from behind.  Caitlin Foster put the Golden Bears in front with an unassisted tally just 9:05 into the game, and Shelby Van Huysen doubled WNEU's advantage when she rifled home her second goal of the season for a 2-0 lead with 18:43 to play. 

The Pioneers got on the board just under 10 minutes later, as Stein netted her first of the day.  With the ball loose in front of the cage, the sophomore rammed it home to cut the lead to 2-1.  The Golden Bears restored a two goal advantage with less than three minutes in the first half.  Savannah Lawson (Oak Bluffs, Mass./Martha's Vineyard) stoned Jaynie Mueller, but Lindsey Lalonde was on hand at the far post to give WNEU a seeming 3-1 advantage to take into halftime.

Smith put paid to those plans with a goal 36 seconds before the halftime break.  Stein slid a pass across the WNEU goal, and Caroline Noonan (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) beat Kaitlyn Hall for her first collegiate goal to cut the deficit to 3-2 at the break.

In the second half, the Golden Bears struck first. With eight minutes of the half played, Alyssa Chamberlain intercepted a back pass, and though Lawson saved her initial shot, she was beaten by the followup from Chamberlain. 

Smith, down by two goals for the third time, launched the comeback less than three minutes later.  Phoebe Hopkins (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Select)' initial shot was saved by new WNEU goalie Emily Mastapaolo, only to see Sara Mercier (Portland, Maine/McAuley) slip in the rebound to make it a 4-3 game.  The Pioneers thought they had levelled the score with 17 minutes to play, when Stein's shot was ruled to not have hit the bottom of the cage following a penalty corner, but the sophomore would not be denied, curling a shot past Mastrapaolo's leg to even the score.

In the 7-v-7 overtime, both teams had chances, starting with the Golden Bears' Kathlee Jasinski's breakaway attempt on Lawson that the goalie came out of the cage to stuff.  Hopkins nearly won it a minute later, but Mastrapaolo blocked it with her footpad.  But with 5:13 seconds to play, Stein settled matters again, dribbling around the top of the circle before wristing a shot past Mastrapaolo for her third of the game and 14th of the year.  

Lawson was tremendous, making 16 saves for Smith.  It was her sixth game of the year with at least 15 saves.  Hall played the first 49 minutes for Western New England, making one save while allowing three goals.  Mastrapaolo played the final 30:02, making three saves while being beaten twice. 

Smith will look to carry their good form into a NEWMAC matchup with Wellesley College on Saturday, October 15 at 1 p.m.  Western New England will travel to Salve Regina for a 1 p.m. tilt also on Saturday, October 15.