BABSON PARK, Mass. — The top-seeded No. 13 nationally-ranked Babson College men's soccer team scored with 46 seconds left in the game to defeat fifth-seeded Wheaton College, 1-0, this afternoon in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Semifinals at Hartwell-Rogers Field in Babson Park, Mass.

The Lyons, who are ranked fourth in the region, fall to 9-5-6 on the season, while the Beavers, who are ranked in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll, improve to 14-3-2. Babson is set to host the NEWMAC Championship game on November 5, taking on the winner of second-seeded Emerson College and number three seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Sophomore forward Louis Gazo (Colchester, Vt.), who entered the match for the Beavers with just 2:34 left in the second half to replace an injured player, netted the game-winning score for his sixth goal of the season. Senior midfielder Mitchell Collins (Burlington, Mass.) sent a cross from the right side to the middle of the box, where Gazo was waiting and fired a hard shot into the upper left corner of the net for his fourth game-winner of the year at 89:14.

Babson owned a 16-11 shot advantage for the match, including 9-4 in the second half. The home team also held a 9-2 margin on corner kicks, but was not able to generate any quality chances off those opportunities.

Wheaton had a scoring chance early in the contest when junior forward Luke Strange (Portland, Ore.) fired a shot in the fifth minute, but his try went over the crossbar on the right side. 

The Lyons tested the Beavers again in the 20th minute when sophomore midfielder Max Strong (Littleton, Mass.) fired a shot on frame, but it was stopped by the Babson keeper on the left side of the net, senior midfielder Jack Brusso (Pawtucket, R.I.) corralled the rebound for another shot, but senior back RJ Parrilla (Pawcatuck, Conn.) blocked the try for the Beavers to keep Wheaton off the board.  

Babson looked to break the scoreless tie in the final 90 seconds of the opening half when senior midfielder Ryan Grund (Princeton Junction, N.J.) drilled a shot at Lyon keeper Cam Millington (Fairfield, Conn.), The senior recovered in time, after being shielded, to stop the shot and gather it in front of the net to keep the half scoreless heading into the intermission.

Less than nine minutes into the second session, Collins fired a shot on a free kick from outside of the box for the Beavers, but his shot went wide right and the match remained knotted at zeroes. Mitchell took aim again on the frame in the 69th minute of play, firing a shot from 25 yards out, but Millington was up to the task for Wheaton to keep the game scoreless. 

Babson nearly took the first lead of the day with its most legitimate scoring chance, before the eventual game-winning strike, with senior back Eamon Keenan (East Greenwich, R.I.) finding himself in the right place at the right time with 8:11 remaining on the clock. The defender was able to come up with a loose ball in a scrum on the left post, but Millington was there for the stop to keep it a scoreless deadlock for the Lyons.

Wheaton was unable to muster any formidable chances in the final eight minutes of play as time whittled away before the Beavers were finally able to break through in the final minute of play.

Strange paced the Lyon offense with six shots, including four on frame.

Millington finished the match with six stops for Wheaton, while sophomore goalie Walker White (Coral Gables, Fla.) made six saves to record his fifth shutout of the season for Babson.