Victoria Faulkner ’25
Staff Writer
Field Hockey
Mount Holyoke Field Hockey defeated New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference rival Wheaton College 1-0 last Friday evening at home in their final game of the season.
Prior to the start of the game, the team honored all seven members of their senior class. Seniors Phoebe Aaronson ’22, Abby Baldwin ’22, Emma Bowler ’22, Julia Klein ’22, Kass Lawrence ’22, Margaret Robb ’22 and Madison Stover ’22walked through a team tunnel on separate occasions while descriptions about them were read aloud. At the end of the tunnel, the seniors took photos with their family and/or coaches.
Rachel Katzenberg ’25, a goalkeeper for the team, said, “I would just like to give a shout-out to our seven seniors for their dedication, support and love for this team. I am going to miss them so much next year.” Later, Katzenberg posted four saves and earned her first-career shutout.
Grace Wilkinson ’25 scored the single goal that broke the 0-0 score between the teams. The goal came in the second quarter of the game when the Lyons got an opportunity from a penalty corner. Robb passed the ball to Aaronson, who then took a shot at the net, which was tipped by Wilkinson.
“On Friday, we as a team played with some of the greatest intensity I’ve felt all season, and we were all on the same page in the sense that we needed to give it our all for our graduating seniors,” Wilkinson said.
With this win, Mount Holyoke closed its field hockey season at 4-9 overall, with a 3-5 mark in league play within the NEWMAC.
Regarding the close of the season, Wilkinson reflected on how the team became “more aware of” the privilege they had to compete during the 2021 season.
“We all came together and pushed through it, though, with the leadership of dedicated coaches and captains. My first season on the [Mount Holyoke] field hockey team taught me what it means to be strong, resilient and supportive,” Wilkinson said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for my new-found family.”
Head Coach Andy Whitcomb said, “I am proud of this team and how they fought all season. We had a lot of hurdles, but they never gave up and kept getting better each day and week. We were fortunate to finish so strong, and to end on a win is a life-long memory that our [seven] seniors will take with them and reflect on for years to come.”
Soccer
Mount Holyoke College Soccer finished their 2021 regular season in a 0-0 draw with Wellesley College after two overtimes, totaling 110 minutes of game play, at a NEWMAC game on Saturday, Oct. 30.
Goalkeeper Shannon Breen ’24 completed the game with a career-best 16 saves, and commented on one particularly “shocking” save.
“Shots off of crosses have been one of my weak points this season and I finally got a save on one. It wasn’t a high jump or flashy dive, but it was the save that meant the most to me,” Breen said.
Sonia McCollum ’25 and Hannah Ellis ’25 racked up two collective shots for the Lyons, while Sarah Forster ’23 registered the only shot on goal for the team.
Regarding the end of the season, Breen said, “I’m just so proud of this team and all of the work we’ve put in this season. Coming off of not being able [to] practice as a team due to the pandemic and dealing with multiple injuries and low numbers, we definitely gave it our all.”
The team’s 2021 season final record is 2 wins, 12 losses and one tie.