BABSON PARK, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team was defeated by host No. 2 Babson, 9-0, this afternoon in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at MacDowell Field in Babson Park, Mass.
The Lyons fall to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in league play, while the Beavers, who are ranked in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, improve to 8-1 and 2-0.
The Beavers dominated possession throughout the match, holding a 40-1 shot advantage and was awarded all 10 penalty corners in the contest.
Babson scored three times in the opening period, three in the second session and closed out the afternoon with a trio of goals in the fourth quarter as well.
Junior midfielder Camille Marsh (Englewood, Colo.) finished the day with a career high 12 points on five goals and two assists to lead the Beavers. She tallied four straight goals in a span of just over eight minutes of game time, including the last two markers of the opening quarter and the first two scores of the second session to give the home team a 5-0 lead early in the second quarter. Marsh's fifth goal came early in the fourth quarter to give her a team-high eight for the season and Babson an 8-0 advantage.
The Beavers got on the board just 2:45 into the match when junior forward Jessica Evans (Southbury, Conn.) found the back of the cage with a rebound shot to give Babson a 1-0 edge.
Graduate student forward Jackie Hill (Franklin, N.H.) scored just 66 seconds after Marsh's fourth goal to give the Beavers a 6-0 lead just over five minutes into the second quarter of play.
The Wheaton defense held strong for the next 25 minutes, despite Babson firing 12 shots, but senior goalie Emma Lapreziosa (Bowdoinham, Maine) was up to the task for the Lyons, making nine saves during the stretch. The Co-Captain finished with a career-high 24 saves for the game, which is also good for the third-most in a game by any keeper this season in NCAA Division III. Sophomore defender Abby Miller (Andover, Mass.) chipped in with a defensive save during the impressive stretch for the Wheaton back line.
The Beavers finally got their offense clicking again in the fourth quarter with junior defender Berit Sharrow (Denver, Colo.) scoring just 56 seconds into the final period off a penalty corner. Senior midfielder Meghan Diamond (Hingham, Mass.) tallied the final goal of the afternoon for Babson on a penalty corner with 8:40 to go in the match.
The Lyons' only scoring opportunity came just under three minutes into the third quarter when junior Delia Knox (Cumberland Center, Maine) sent a cross to sophomore forward Riley Levrault (Lakeville, Mass.) in the Beavers' defensive zone, but she wasn't able to get much on her shot, which was handled by the Babson keeper.
Junior goalie Bayla Furmanek (State College, Pa.) turned away the only shot she faced to record her fourth shutout of the season and the 12th of her career for the Beavers.
Wheaton returns to action on Wednesday, September 27 when it heads to Brighton, Mass. to take on Simmons University at Daly Field for a 6:30 p.m. start, while Babson hosts No. 5 Tufts University on September 26 at 6:00 p.m.
