BABSON CENTER, Mass. - #14 Babson College used a pair of third-quarter goals to defeat Saint Joseph's College (18-4), 2-0, in the first round of the NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
With the win, Babson advances to the NCAA 'Sweet 16' and will play at #2 Middlebury College on Saturday at 11:00 AM. For the Monks, the loss signals the end of the 2019 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a scoreless and mostly even first half, the Beavers managed to score twice in the third frame to put the Monks away. Babson kicked off the game scoring with a beautiful reverse chip shot off the stick of Millie Brady on a corner attempt just 2:46 into the penultimate period.
The hosts capped the scoring ledger when Tori Roche tipped in a high pass just inside the right post on a left-to-right pass from Lauren Curley with only 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Monks' best bid to score came at the 49:53 mark when sophomore Emma Rutledge (Alfred, Maine) steered a shot on frame on a penalty corner attempt. Babson keeper Cassidy Riley kicked the shot away to preserve the shutout.
THE KEEPERS:
SJC junior goalie Alexandria Simpson (Pascoag, R.I.) made three saves in the setback while Babson netminder Cassidy Riley turned away a pair of shots in the shutout performance.
TEAM STATS:
The Beavers held the lead in shots (6-4), shots on goal (5-2), and penalty corners (3-2) on the afternoon.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-2 all-time versus Babson College with both setbacks happening this season. The Beavers tipped the Monks by a 1-0 score in Standish on September 7th.
SENIOR SEND-OFF:
The setback signals the end of collegiate field hockey for the Monks' three seniors: Maddy Beaulieu (West Gardiner, Maine), Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine), and Kylee Veilleux (Sabattus, Maine). The 2020 senior class helped Saint Joseph's win four GNAC Championships while posting a 66-19 (.777) overall record, including a 25-2 (.926) mark in GNAC play, during their time on the turf.
