10/20/2007
Blake Leads Field Hockey past MIT 3-2 in OT

WORCESTER, MASS. 10/20/07 - Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine) lead the Clark University field hockey team to a 3-2 overtime win with two assists and the game-winning goal against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game at Granger Field on Saturday.

The win gives Clark their first conference win, marking a 6-9 overall record (1-6 NEWMAC). With the loss, MIT falls to 4-10 overall (1-6 NEWMAC).

Clark got off to an early lead when Chelsea Proulx (Franklin, N.H.) took a cross off a corner from Blake and slid it home for the 1-0 lead just six minutes into the game. Minutes later Proulx had another chance on a ball from Blake, but her bid went wide of the net.

MIT had several opportunities to even the score as they earned five penalty corners and placed three shots on goal, but the Engineers could not come up with the tying mark before the break.

In the second half MIT came roaring out of the gate with five penalty corners in as many minutes, but they could not capitalize on any of the opportunities.

Sally Simpson (Minneapolis, Minn.) found the net for the Engineers when her shot made it past Cougar goalie Katelyn McGrath (Wilmington, Mass.) to knot the score with 11:35 left to play.

Clark took the lead again a minute later, however, when Carley Corkum (Newbury, Mass.) ripped a shot off and buried in the left side of the goal, but Simpson’s second goal of the game tied the score once more with 8:16 left in the game.

Neither team could mount an attack in the waning minutes and regulation play ended with a stalemate at 2-2.

In overtime Blake wasted no time to end the game with her shot from the center of the circle just over two minutes into the extra period. The score marked Blake’s team leading 16th goal of the season. With one game remaining in the regular season Blake (16-8-40) sits only six points behind the school’s single-season record set by Laura Stuto in 1993.

The Engineers held a 13-8 advantage in penalty corners while Clark held a 12-8 lead in shots. Alexa Herman (Suffern, N.Y.) turned aside three shots in the match while McGrath stopped seven.

Clark closes out the last game of the season against NEWMAC foe Smith College at home on Tuesday (7 pm), while MIT travels to Wheaton College the same day (4 pm).

By: Bill Cobb, Sports Information Intern