Beavers Clinch NEWMAC Tournament Berth With Fifth Straight League Victory

BABSON PARK, Mass.—Sophomore Noah Parker (Hampden, Maine) scored late in the first half and senior Kofi Abankroh (Worcester, Mass.) buried a second-half penalty kick to lift Babson College to a 2-0 win over visiting WPI in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's soccer action on Saturday afternoon at Hartwell-Rogers Field.

Babson, which is ranked seventh in the initial NCAA regional rankings, extended its unbeaten streak to nine is now 9-4-3 overall and 5-1-0 in conference play. WPI, which is ranked ninth in the region, slips to 9-4-3 overall and 2-3-1 in the NEWMAC.

Sophomores Jackson Greenspan (Meriden, N.H.) and Addison Choi (Fullerton, Calif.) both recorded an assist for the Beavers, who clinched a berth in November's NEWMAC Tournament. Junior goalkeeper James Takami (Kenmore, Wash.) made two saves to record his sixth clean sheet of the year.

Junior Connor Hoeckele (Granby, Conn.) did not record a save for the Engineers.

In a physical battle between two of the league's top defensive squads, the Beavers took advantage of their two best scoring opportunities. Choi broke up a WPI counter attack just over midfield to set up Parker, who took two touches before sending a 30-yard rocket into the upper left corner for a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute.

The Green and White added an insurance tally in the 75th minute when Abankroh converted his second penalty kick in as many league matches after junior Logan Ventura (Pittstown, N.J.) was pushed down in the box attempting to run onto a service by sophomore Carlo Araujo (Mexico City, Mexico).

Takami made an easy save on WPI sophomore Spencer Ralphs' (Simsbury, Conn.) header in the 14th minute and handled junior Brendan Nemes' (Kingston, Mass.) 20-yard blast in the 89th minute.

The Engineers finished with slim edges in shots (7-6) and corner kicks (4-3), while the sides combined for 38 fouls.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday as Babson hosts Bridgewater State at 3 p.m., while WPI travels to Anna Maria for a 5 p.m. start.

MATCH NOTES
•    The Beavers are now 39-8-2 all-time against WPI and improved to 14-1-2 over the last 17 matches between the teams.
•    Babson is 9-1-2 this season when scoring the first goal of the game.
•    The Beavers are now 5-0-1 in the month of October.
•    The Green and White has conceded just four goals during its nine-game unbeaten streak.