Wellesley Advances To NEWMAC Semifinals on Penalty Kicks

WELLESLEY, MA - Wellesley First-year Connie Spearnak scored the game-tying goal with just 1:32 remaining in regulation off an assist from sophomore Kelly Kehm, and that set the stage for a dramatic penalty kick victory over Babson in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament.

Down 1-0 for much of the game, Spearnak netted her second goal of the season to send the two teams into four overtimes, totaling 60 minutes. When it came down to penalty kicks, Wellesley, the No. 5 seed, came away with a 3-1 advantage over the fourth-seeded Beavers. Spearnak led off the penalty kick session and scored, as did junior Bridget Jones and first-year Satya Twena. Couple those three scores with sophomore goalkeeper Elizabeth Senecal's two stops and a Babson miss, and Wellesley advanced to Saturday's NEWMAC Semifinals at Wheaton. Senecal finished with 15 saves in the victory.

Wellesley (7-5-2) will play host and No. 1 seed Wheaton, which is 18-0 and has won 29 straight home games. Game time Saturday is noon.