Worcester Polytechnic Institute's field hockey team captured its first road victory of the season on Tuesday, defeating Western New England 2-0 in a match that marked both the Engineers' inaugural win and their first triumph away from home.
The breakthrough came from sophomore Emma Barton, who scored her opening goal of the season, and senior Madeline Chase, who added the decisive tally in the third quarter after a well‑timed assist from Tatiana Nwosu, sparking a surge of confidence for the squad.
Early Scoring Sparks Momentum
Head coach Carden Brown, a Worcester native, orchestrated the win while drawing on a 43‑22 record accumulated during her three‑year tenure at Westfield State, a testament to her ability to build competitive units from the sidelines.
Defensively, junior Myles Lakin from Reading, MA, was instrumental, making three crucial saves in the opening quarter that denied Western New England's Mikayla Mrzywka, Abigail Petrini and Gianna Testi, preserving the clean sheet and keeping the Engineers ahead.
WPI's dominance was evident in the penalty‑corner statistics, where the Engineers earned nine corners compared to a solitary one for their opponents, and they finished with a 16‑13 edge in total shots, underscoring their sustained offensive pressure throughout the contest.
Currently positioned 24th in the preseason Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll, the Engineers are poised for an early‑season showdown on Wednesday when they host No. 8‑ranked Wesleyan at home, a match that could further elevate their standing in the national rankings.