Men's Soccer 11/7/2010 12:00:00 AM

ANDERSON'S OVERTIME GOAL GIVES MEN'S SOCCER ITS THIRD STRAIGHT NEWMAC CHAMPIONSHIP

BABSON PARK, Mass. – Sophomore Eric Anderson (Scituate, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal with 5:09 left in the second overtime period to lift the top-seeded Babson College Beavers to a thrilling 2-1 victory over third-seeded Wheaton College in the championship game of the 2010 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men's Soccer Tournament at Babson's Hartwell-Rogers Field on Sunday. With the win, Babson (14-3-2) secured its third consecutive conference title and the program's 22nd bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Anderson's game-winning goal came midway through the second overtime session. Junior Jimmy Stento (Needham, Mass.) took a pass from junior captain Max Walker (Newton, Mass.) on Wheaton's half of the midfield line and lofted a cross toward the left side of the box. There, a streaking Anderson headed a perfect shot over charging senior keeper Chris Smart (Brookfield, Conn.) and into the middle of the goal at 105:51. It was the team-leading 13th goal of the season for the sophomore forward, who was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player for his heroics.

Wheaton (11-6-3) got on the board first in the opening minutes of the second half, beginning when sophomore David Turina (North Yarmouth, Maine) launched a free kick from midfield into the center of the box. Sophomore Max Swanson (Lexington, Mass.) then headed it toward the right post, where senior captain Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, Mass.) redirected it past diving junior goalie Peter Crowley (Lexington, Mass.) at 55:14.

Wheaton continued to control the majority of play until the 67th minute, when Babson caught a huge break to tie the game. Following a Lyons foul near midfield, sophomore Josh Danesh (Brookline, Mass.) lofted a free kick down the center of the field. A Wheaton defender then tried to head it out of the zone at the top of the box, but it caromed back over Smart and into an open net for an own goal at 66:34.

As expected in a matchup of evenly-matched archrivals, both teams thrilled the crowd with numerous scoring chances throughout the contest. Wheaton nearly struck for the first goal of the game just over five minutes into the second half, but Crowley made a fantastic diving save on a header aimed inside the left post by Swanson. Later in the period with the score knotted at 1-1, Beavers first-year Bryan Rust (Granby, Conn.) threatened to snap the tie with a shot from the left side off a corner kick, but his bid hit the left post and was cleared away by the Lyons.

Babson had another great scoring chance at the 77-minute mark, when Walker took a pass from Anderson in the center of the box and flicked a shot on net. However, Smart came up big again for the visitors, making a sprawling save to keep the contest even. Wheaton then had a dangerous chance of its own in the 82nd minute, but Swanson's header from 15 yards out sailed just wide of the right post.

Each team threatened again in the first overtime period, with Smart denying Rust's one-timer near the right post in the 93rd minute and Wheaton senior Alex Redding's (Newton, Mass.) bid for the left post going just wide with 22 seconds remaining.

Both goalies were sensational in the contest. Smart turned away 10 shots for Wheaton, while Crowley finished with nine saves, including eight critical stops during a second half that saw the Lyons outshoot the Beavers, 14-6.

With its 10th conference title overall and fifth since the inception of the NEWMAC in 1998, Babson now moves on to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in the program's illustrious history.