NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Smith College gave one of the top teams in the conference all it could handle before Wheaton held on for a 14-13 victory over the Pioneers in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference matchup Saturday afternoon.

With the outcome, Wheaton improves to 8-3 on the season and 3-0 in the conference while the Pioneers even out their record at 5-5 and drop to 1-2 in league play.

Top Performers

• Stella Alphas (Weston, Mass./Weston) finished with three goals, four ground balls and won seven draws for the Pioneers
• Sadie Tschider (Piedmont, CA/Piedmont), Gia Arancio (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge), Jennie Arancio (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) and Reese Gitteman each finished with two scores
• Goalkeeper Alyssa Schams (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon) had an impressive day, posting nine saves

How it Happened
Wheaton came out strong with three goals in the first five minutes of the game, including two by Lara Finnie, to take a 3-0 lead. Gittelman founded the back of the net before two more from the Lyons made it 5-1. Tschider's goal with 5:05 remaining in the first was the final tally of the quarter. 

Trailing 5-2, the Pioneers stormed ahead with five consecutive goals to hold a 7-5 lead with 6:05 remaining in the half. It was then Wheaton's turn to make a run as the Lyons scored seven-straight to pull ahead 12-7 with 14:00 remaining in the game. The game seemed out of reach but the Pioneers would end the quarter with five goals capped by Alphas' strike with 1:09 left in regulation. The Pioneers won the draw but were unable to register a shot in the final minute. 

Up Next
Smith will take the week off before a a conference road match at MIT on Saturday, April 9 at 1:00 p.m.

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.