By Tiffany Williams –
A balanced scoring attack and a second-quarter surge lifted WPI field hockey to a 4-1 comeback win over Western New England in its home opener Saturday at H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
The Engineers (3-1) had four different goal scorers and three others record assists as they erased an early deficit and pulled away late. The Golden Bears (2-1) suffered their first setback of the season.
Western New England struck first just 3:46 into the game when Haley Kaczka (Granby, Conn.) converted a penalty stroke — her second goal of the year — to put the visitors on top, 1-0.
WPI took control in the second quarter, outshooting WNEU 7-1 and finding the back of the cage twice. Graduate student Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) tied the game at 19:48 by burying a rebound off her own shot. Just before halftime, the Engineers grabbed the lead as Emma Barton (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) scored off a penalty corner, assisted by Madeline Chase (Danvers, Mass.) and Arie Lang (West Hartford, Conn.), making it 2-1 at the break.
The Engineers kept momentum rolling in the third, with Abbey Powers (Halifax, Mass.) delivering a backhanded chip into the top-left corner at 42:28. WNEU had a golden chance to close the gap early in the fourth when awarded a second penalty stroke, but the attempt missed wide right.
WPI sealed the win with 6:28 left as Leah Uglevich (Maynard, Mass.) knocked home a feed from Kyra Duane (Marlboro, Mass.) to make it 4-1.
Myles Lakin (Reading, Mass.) tallied two saves in net for WPI, while Alex Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) stopped three shots for WNEU. The Engineers finished with a 20-10 edge in shots and a 12-9 advantage in penalty corners.
WPI will travel to Amherst on Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup, while Western New England returns home to host Smith on Tuesday at 6 p.m.