BABSON PARK, Mass. -- Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey fell to number three-ranked Babson College by a score of 5-0 on Saturday at noon on MacDowell Field in Babson Park, Mass.

The loss sees the Lyons fall to 8-10 overall on the season and 3-6 within NEWMAC competition in their final contest of the season, while the Beavers win their 14th straight game and improve to 18-1 on the season and 9-0 within the NEWMAC. Babson also concluded the regular season with a perfect 10-0 home slate. 

Sophomore goalie Elisa LeBlanc (Hampstead, N.H.) was a key component of the Wheaton defense, making a career-high 10 stops. Junior defender Maddie LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) also picked up a defensive save to help limit the damage against the number three team in Division III. The Lyons battled for every inch of field position, but their relentless spirit was not enough to tally a shot on goal. 

The match began with instant pressure being applied by the Beavers. Wheaton was pushed back into its own end early on, and conceded their first shot to Babson in the third minute of play. With the momentum firmly on the side of the hosts, the Lyons defended with everything they had as the Beavers won a penalty corner in the 10th minute. The defense did its job, holding fast as LeBlanc made a save and Babson sophomore forward Penny Baroni (Dennis, Mass.) had a shot go wide and another one blocked in the moments following the corner. Baroni put another shot wide after a second penalty corner at the close of the quarter, and the score remained 0-0 heading into the first break in the action.

The second quarter opened with an equivalent show of force by the hosts, They quickly won three penalty corners in the opening five minutes of the frame, but still had yet to convert any of those chances. Senior forward Caroline DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) finally converted a penalty corner into a goal for Babson as she slipped the ball past LeBlanc in the 20th minute to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead. Just over a minute later, the home side scored again as junior forward Ashley Braren (Westwood, Mass.) converted a chance off a penalty corner to make it a 2-0 game in favor of the home team. The damage was limited to just two goals, despite Wheaton allowing eight penalty corners in the quarter.

The second half saw only one minute of play before the Beavers scored again. DiGiovanni made it a 3-0 Babson lead 60 seconds after play resumed following halftime. The scoreline held there despite Babson recording five shots before the end of the quarter. LeBlanc came up huge in that period, making two stops to keep the Lyons within range of the Beavers heading into the final quarter of action.

The Lyons managed to hold on for a bit longer in the fourth quarter, but found themselves down 4-0 after a 49th minute goal by sophomore back Lauren Golden (New Albany, Ohio). Graduate student forward Lauren Knight (Orleans, Mass.) scored the fifth goal for Babson following a flurry of chances. After putting her first two bids towards goal wide and having a third effort stopped by LeBlanc, Knight finally converted her chance in the 54th minute to drive the Babson lead up to 5-0, where it held until the end of the game. Babson took the win and shutout to stay in first place in the NEWMAC standings, holding the top seed heading into postseason play.



Babson will receive a first round bye in the NEWMAC Tournament and will await the results of the first round game between Springfield and Salve Regina to determine their opponent that they will face in the semifinal round on Thursday, November 6th at a time to be determined.