Box Score CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--The Smith College lacrosse team held a 6-0 lead, but could not make it stand up in a 17-11 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) defeat to Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon.  Smith is now 1-7 overall, and 0-1 in league play, while MIT is now 3-5, with a 1-1 NEWMAC record.

Jenny Estes (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) and Jessica Lillquist (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) each scored three times for Smith, while Petru Bester (Deep River, Conn./Valley Regional) found the net twice. Rachel Silveria (Dunstable, Mass./Groton-Dunstable), Christina Vara (Hudson, Mass./Hudson), and Kate Detrick (Petaluma, Calif./Sonoma Academy) added single goals for Smith.  Sophomore Angela Schondek (Raynham, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) collected three groundballs as junior Savannah Lawson (Oak Bluffs, Mass./Martha's Vineyard) amassed 14 saves and four groundballs. 

Sophomore Jenny Estes (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) opened the scoring for the Pioneers with the first of her three free-position goals after 33 seconds expired. Junior Petru Bester (Deep River, Conn./Valley Regional) tacked on an unassisted goal while Lillquist earned an assist on a strike by freshman Rachel Silveria (Dunstable, Mass./Groton-Dunstable) and then converted a free-position shot to give Smith a 6-0 lead midway through the half. 

The Engineers responded with their own six-goal run that knotted the game with 4:59 on the clock. Senior Meghan Wright found freshman Nadia Wallace for the first marker and then set up Schott for the next goal. Schott continued the scoring spree after connecting on a feed from senior Laura Wacker who then buried a pair of free-position shots. Senior Molly McShane followed by registering the equalizer courtesy of a pass from sophomore Emma Kane. Both sides made several charges at net down the stretch but it was the Pioneers who broke through on a solo effort from Bester with 30 seconds to go before the intermission. 

Schott evened the score at seven after four minutes expired in the second half but goals from freshman Christina Vara (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) and junior Kate Detrick (Petaluma, Calif./Sonoma Academy) gave Smith a 9-7 cushion at the 23:20 mark. The Engineers countered with four goals in span of 2:14 to take a lead they would not relinquish. Moments after winning the ensuing draw, MIT was awarded a free-position shot which saw junior Erica Du find Kane for the weak-side goal. The Schott-Wright connection returned, producing the tying goal as Wright followed with a free-position marker. Schott completed the spurt with her fifth goal of the day to give the Engineers an 11-9 lead. 

The Pioneers quickly cut their deficit in half courtesy of an unassisted effort by Lillquist with 19:10 remaining. The game became a defensive battle during the next eight minutes as both sides were unable to convert its scoring attempts. MIT ended the stalemate when McShane collected a groundball following a failed Smith clearing attempt and found Kane for what proved to be the game-winning goal. The strike sparked a string of five unanswered goals that put the Engineers up, 17-10, with 23 seconds left to play. On the final draw of the game, Lillquist emerged with ball and went directly to net to cap the scoring with two ticks remaining. 

Wright racked up three goals, three assists, four groundballs, four draw controls, and one caused turnover for the Cardinal and Gray. McShane recorded one goal, one assist, eight groundballs, and three draw controls as Wallace totaled eight draw controls. Wacker finished with three goals, one assist, and three groundballs while Kane posted three goals, one assist, and six groundballs. In net, sophomore Candice Kaplan generated four saves. 

Both squads face non-conference opponents on the road for their next games that are scheduled for Tuesday, April 2. MIT will visit Framingham State University while Smith will travel to New England College.

(Parts of this story courtesy MIT)