No. 8 Men's Soccer at Springfield
Wednesday, October 18 | 5 p.m.
Brock-Affleck Field | Springfield, Mass.
SERIES HISTORY
• Babson is 24-7-4 all-time against Springfield in a series that dates back to 1994.
• The Beavers have won straight games against the Pride without conceding a goal and have lost just twice over the last 24 games between the sides going back to 2004.
• The Green and White has won two straight games and is 8-1-1 on the road in the series since 2005.
LAST MEETING
•
Ben Williams M'23 scored twice in the first half and junior
Lyndon Way tacked on a goal in the 73rd minute to help the Beavers defeat Springfield, 3-0, on October 29, 2022, in Babson Park.
• Seniors
Louis Gazo and
Ryan Kim were two of four players to record an assist for the Beavers, who got three saves over the final 17-plus minutes from sophomore goalkeeper
Derek Polanco.
• Clayton Knibbs finished with three saves for the Pride.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• No. 8 Babson (9-3-3, 4-0-0 NEWMAC) extended its unbeaten streak to six games with a 1-0 win over Wheaton last Saturday.
• Graduate student
Ryan Grund buried a header off a service from Kim in the 70th minute for the Beavers, who got seven saves from junior goalkeeper
Walker White.
• Graduate students
Justin Stone (4-1-9) and
Sam Morgan (3-3-9) have combined for four game-winning goals, senior
Liam Rhatigan (4-0-8) has notched three of his markers in the second half and both Grund and first-year
Will Lloyd have provided two goals and two assists for six points this fall.
• White has started all 15 games and boasts a 0.60 goals against average and a .889 save percentage to go along with a league-best eight shutouts.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
• Springfield (4-5-4, 1-2-2 NEWMAC) is winless in its last three games and is coming off a 3-1 loss at WPI last Saturday.
• Chris Cruz scored in the 87th minute to break up the Engineers' shut out bid and Noah Pote finished with six saves for the Pride, which held a 12-10 edge in shots over the final 45 minutes.
• Cruz (4-0-8) leads the team in scoring and has a goal in three of the last four matches, Parker Thornton has produced two goals and one assist for five points and Tristan Moran has tallied twice this fall, which includes one game-winning marker.
• Pote has started all 13 games and owns a 1.15 goals against average and a .741 save percentage to go along with seven clean sheets.
PLAYOFF PUSH
• Entering the final two weeks of the regular season, Babson is the only team in the NEWMAC that has not dropped any points this fall.
• MIT is currently first with 13 points but have played one more game than the unbeaten Beavers, who currently have 12 points but can move into first with a win at Springfield.
• The Green and White is two points clear of third-place WPI (10 points), while Springfield, Wheaton and Coast Guard are all tied with five points and currently own the final three positions in the upcoming conference tournament.
STREAKING BEAVERS
• Babson has won its last 16 games against NEWMAC foes, including conference tournament matches, and boast an 15-game road winning in conference play that dates back October 13, 2018.
• Overall, the Beavers are unbeaten in 18 straight conference road games and have gone 16-0-2 during this stretch, which goes back to September 2018.
SECOND-HALF SURGE
• The Beavers have scored 17 of their 20 goals after halftime this fall and are outscoring their opponents 17-6 over the final 45 minutes of their first 15 matches.
• Nine of the 17 markers have come after the 70th minute and seven have been scored with less than 10 minutes to go in regulation.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
• The Beavers are 17-0 over the last three seasons when leading at halftime.
• Babson is 9-1-2 on the year when conceding one goal or fewer.
• The Green and White is 2-0-2 this year and 13-2-5 in the month of October since 2021.
• The Beavers are unbeaten in their last 35 matches (33-0-2) when scoring first.
UP NEXT
• Babson welcomes MIT to Hartwell-Rogers Field for its regular season home finale on Saturday at 1 p.m.
