Beavers Clinch Share of NEWMAC Regular Season Title and Top Seed in Conference Tournament
 
BABSON PARK, Mass.— Graduate student Brianne McGrath (Newmarket, Ontario) scored two goals and No. 2 Babson College erupted with three fourth-quarter goals to secure a 5-2 victory over No. 19 MIT in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) field hockey battle of conference unbeatens Saturday afternoon at rainy MacDowell Field.

With the victory, the Beavers extended their winning streak to 10 games and improved to 16-1 overall and 8-0 in the NEWMAC while the Engineers had their eight-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 11-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Babson clinches at least a share of its eighth straight NEWMAC regular season crown as well as the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

Senior Andrea Marguerite (Hopkinton, Mass.) tallied a goal and an assist for the Beavers, and graduate students Sinead Walsh (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) and Jackie Hill (Franklin, N.H.) scored one goal each. Junior goalie Bayla Furmanek (State College, Pa.) made three saves to record the win in goal.

Junior Alice Zehner (Gladwyne) produced a goal and an assist for the Engineers and first-year Ingrid Tomovski (Bosch en Duin, Netherlands) notched a goal. First-year Maeve Zimmer (Rockville, Md.) finished with three saves in goal in the first half and junior Anna Duncan (St. Louis, Mo.) made one save in the second half.

In a defense-minded first half, Babson outshot the visitors 8-3 and managed just one goal in the second quarter. Walsh dribbled along the left end line and took a shot that was kicked away by Zimmer, but the rebound bounced up in the air and Walsh bunted it past Zimmer for her team-leading 14th goal of the season.

The Beavers doubled their lead midway through the third quarter when Hill punched in her fourth goal of the season on a scrum in front. Babson started to pull away in the fourth quarter when Marguerite stole the ball on the right side and fed McGrath for a goal on a long shot from the right side to extend the lead to 3-0.

MIT got on the board with 10:15 remaining in the final frame on a penalty corner. A shot by Tomovski from the top of the circle was block and Zehner rifled home the rebound from the left side to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Green and White got the goal back just 25 seconds later on a penalty corner of their own. McGrath received the insertion, went to her right and blasted a shot from the outside for her second of the game and 13th of the season to regain the three-goal lead. The visitors answered again less than a minute later on a penalty corner when Tomovsky ripped a shot from the top of the circle just inside the left post to make it 4-2.

Babson rounded out the scoring with just over five minutes remaining on a corner when Marguerite buried a rebound off a deflected shot by McGrath for her sixth of the season.

The hosts finished with a 15-9 advantage in shots (9-5 in shots on goal) and had a slim 9-7 margin in penalty corners.

Both teams resume play with non-conference games as Babson visits the University of New England on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and MIT hosts Roger Williams on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Babson has won five straight and 11 of the last 14 against the Engineers and have a 34-18 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1984.
• The Beavers have scored at least five goals in six straight games, matching its longest streak since scoring five times in six consecutive outings in 2021.
• McGrath scored two goals for the fifth time this season and 11th time in her career.
• Babson is a perfect 10-0 at MacDowell Field this season.