BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Samuel Kalishman (Clarksville, Md.) scored his first goal of the season in the 68th minute and that stood as the game-winner as 15th-ranked and second-seeded Babson College pulled out a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Wheaton College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's soccer tournament semifinal Thursday afternoon on the turf at MacDowell Field.

With the victory, Babson extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games (6-0-5) and improved to 11-3-6 overall while Wheaton had its five-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 8-5-6 on the season. The Beavers advance to their fifth consecutive conference final on Saturday against either top-seeded WPI or fifth-seeded Coast Guard, who meet in the other semifinal Thursday evening.

Sophomore Derek Polanco (Verona, N.J.) registered the win in goal for the Beavers, making four saves in his first appearance of the season and his first career start and clean sheet. Sophomore Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) made three saves at the other end of the field for the Lyons.

The teams combined for just eight shots in a defensive-minded opening 45 minutes, five for Wheaton and three for Babson. The two best chances were early by the visitors as sophomore Leao Nelson (Bar Harbor, Maine) redirected a corner kick that went wide in the ninth minute and senior Luke Strange (Portland, Ore.) drilled a shot from the left side in the 13th minute that was denied by Polanco.

The Beavers had a pair of long-range shots early in the second half that were saved by O'Gara. The Green and White finally broke through when Kalishman took a pass from graduate student Ryan Grund Princeton Junction, N.J.) about 30 yards from the goal, dribbled to his left past a pair of defenders and ripped a left-footed shot into the left upper 90 to break the deadlock.

The Lyons nearly tied the score less than a minute later on a set piece but a looping shot by first-year Avery Dinham (Swansea, Mass.) went just over the net and another shot by sophomore Baden McLaughlin (Yarmouth, Maine) a minute later was stopped by Polanco.

Wheaton had its best chance of an equalizer in the 83rd minute when senior Alberto Franceschi (Caracas, Venezuela) got one past Polanco from close range but Babson senior defender Louis Gazo (Colchester, Vt.) cleared the ball off the goal line to preserve the shutout. Wheaton's last two attempts in the final five minutes were blocked by Beaver defenders.

The visitors finished with a 13-11 advantage in shots, including a 5-4 margin in shots on goal. Wheaton had all three of its corner kicks in the first half and Babson took all three of its corners in the second half.

The Beavers will be seeking its fourth straight NEWMAC title in Saturday's final and 16th conference championship in program history.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers have won 10 in a row and 12 of the last 13 matches against the Lyons and now have a 26-20-0 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1990.
• Babson defeated Wheaton 1-0 in the NEWMAC semifinals for the second year in a row and is 10-6-0 all-time against the Lyons in NEWMAC Tournament action.
• The Green and White posted their 13th shutout of the season and have allowed just 10 goals in 20 outings this fall.