MEDFORD, Mass.—Senior Brianne McGrath (Newmarket, Ontario) broke a 1-1 tie in the 33rd minute and that goal stood as the game-winner as No. 10 Babson College handed third-ranked Tufts University its first loss of the season, 2-1, Tuesday afternoon in a battle to top-10 field hockey teams at Ounjian Field.

With the win, Babson stopped a two-game losing skid and improves to 5-3 overall, while Tufts falls from the unbeaten ranks and drops to 7-1 on the season.

Sophomore Jessica Evans (Southbury, Conn.) also scored her fourth goal of the season in the first half for the Beavers, and sophomore Berit Sharrow (Denver, Colo.) and senior Kelsey Low (Longmeadow, Mass.) recorded assists in the win. Sophomore goalie Bayla Furmanek (State College, Pa.) made two saves in goal for the winners.

Senior Reegan McCluskey (Los Gatos, Calif.) scored for the Jumbos, with an assist from sophomore Mia D'Angelo (Westwood, Mass.). Senior Sam Gibby (Bethesda, Md.) made three saves in goal in the loss.

The Beavers took the lead late in the first quarter on a penalty corner. Senior Meara Hanyon (Brodheadsville, Pa.) took the feed at the top of the circle, dished a backhanded pass to Sharrow on the left side, and Sharrow fired a hard shot that made it through the pads of Gibby and Evans knocked in the ball near the goal line for the first goal of the game.

Tufts tied the score midway through the second frame on a penalty corner of their own. D'Angelo fed McCluskey on the corner, and McClusky fired a slap shot that beat Furmanek to the left side of the goal.

After Babson had recorded the only two shots and the only goal of the first quarter, Tufts answered with the only three shots and the lone goal in the second frame and the teams went into the break tied at 1-1.

The Beavers tallied what turned out to be the eventual game-winner on another penalty corner just two minutes into the third quarter. After the insert pass from the left side, Babson moved the ball around the circle to the right, and McGrath eventually worked a give and go with Low before firing the return pass from the right side through traffic just inside the left post.

Both teams played outstanding defense in the second half, with Tufts managing just five shots and Babson four. The Jumbos finished with an 8-6 margin in shots for the game and both teams took six penalty corners.

Babson returns to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Friday with a key contest at No. 12 MIT at 6 p.m. Tufts plays a pair of New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) contests Saturday vs. Colby and Sunday against No. 5 Trinity.

GAME NOTES
• Babson has won four of the last seven meetings against Tufts but trails the all-time series against the Jumbos, 22-6.
• Tuesday's outcome was the sixth straight contest between the two schools decided by one goal.
• The Beavers are 3-2 this season against nationally-ranked teams, defeating No. 8 Kean (1-0), No. 11 Bates (4-2) and No. 3 Tufts and falling to No. 9 Williams (3-2) and No. 1 Middlebury (4-0).
• The Green and White are 4-0 this season and 54-1 going back to 2018 when holding their opponents to one goal or fewer.