BRUNSWICK, Maine—Sophomore Connor Keefe (San Diego, Calif.) capitalized on a first half penalty kick to lead the Bowdoin College men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over visiting Babson College in a Sunday afternoon matchup at Pickard Field.

The Polar Bears win their fifth straight game to improve to 7-2-3, while dropping the Beavers to 9-6-1. Babson leads the all-time series between the two teams by a 17-16-7 mark.

Babson controlled the opening minutes of play, maintaining ball possession in Bowdoin's defensive zone, before the Polar Bears were able to apply offensive pressure. Two of the Beavers' four shots in the opening 20 minutes connected with the crossbar, while Bowdoin goalie Noah Safian deflected another and the fourth went wide.

In the 27th minute, Babson senior goalkeeper Jackson Klein (Maplewood, N.J.) committed a foul in the box, resulting in Keefe's penalty kick. As he approached the ball, Keefe took a stutter step and buried the ball in the left corner beyond the hands of a diving Klein.

Babson, which held an 11-10 advantage in shots and 3-2 edge in corner kicks, pressured for the equalizer late in the match. Following a scramble inside the box with just over a minute remaining a Beavers shot was blocked down by a by what appeared to be the arm of a Bowdoin defender, but no hand ball was called.

Klein and Safian each made four saves over the 90 minutes of play.

Babson travels to WPI for a 7:00 PM game on Friday night. The Polar Bears will be hosting Colby at 12:00 PM on Saturday, October 26.

Note: Portions of this release courtesy of Bowdoin College.