NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The push for a berth in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament continues when the Smith College lacrosse team (6-5, 1-2 NEWMAC) travels to Mount Holyoke College (5-5, 1-2 NEWMAC) for a 6 p.m. Tuesday evening matchup.


Last Meeting: Mount Holyoke held on for a 14-9 win over Smith on April 12, 2011.  Smith recovered from a 13-5 deficit to get within four with 7:34 remaining, but could not get closer.  Meaghan Fileti (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes) and Becky Bracken (Barrington, R.I./Barrington) combined to score eight of Smith's nine goals.

Last Smith Win:  Four goals from Sara Smyth lifted the Pioneers to an 11-8 win over the Lyons on April 15, 2008.  That was the last league victory for Smith before this year.

Smith Overview: The Pioneers will attempt to get back to winning ways in the first of two straight road games.  Smith fell to Babson College by a score of 19-7 on Saturday, getting four goals from Mckenzie Hessel (Portland, Ore./Wilson).

Mount Holyoke Overview: The Lyons will be looking to snap a two game losing streak after falling to Wheaton College 15-8 on April 7, and a 9-8 loss to Skidmore on April 3.  Mount Holyoke has just one win in its last five games, after winning four of five to start the season.

Smith Player to Watch:  A converted attacker, Sofia Nakhnikian-Weintraub now leads the defensive line and has 30 ground balls, second most on the squad.

Mount Holyoke Player to Watch: Junior Molly Macdonald has scored 29 goals this year, with 84% of her shots coming on goal.

Playoff Permutations:  With three league games left, Smith can take a big step towards securing a NEWMAC tournament berth with a win.  The Lyons and Pioneers are both tied in the league standings at 1-2, and the winning team would get the tiebreaker should both finish with the same record.