BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Liam Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.) scored the only goal of the game in the 39th minute as the Babson College men's soccer team posted a 1-0 victory over Saint Joseph's College of Maine Friday afternoon in the season opener for both teams at Hartwell-Rogers Field.

With the win, Babson starts the season at 1-0-0 while St. Joe's begins the campaign at 0-1-0.

Senior Lorenzo Mancini (Franklin, Mass.) and first-year Will Lloyd (Lexington, Mass.) picked up assists on the game-winning goal for the Green and White. Junior keeper Walker White (Coral Gables, Fla.) made four saves to record his eighth career shutout.

Junior Liam Foley (Middleton, Mass.) made one save in goal for the Monks and suffered the defeat.

Babson had the field advantage in the first half to the tune of an 8-2 margin in shots. The Beavers broke through when Lloyd picked up loose ball in Monks territory, slid a pass to Mancini at top of box, Mancini found a streaking Rhatigan on right side, and Rhatigan buried a shot inside the right post.

The Green and White continued to pressure the Monks' end in the second half, outshooting the visitors 7-4 over the final 45 minutes. The Beavers had two strong opportunities to score, both by sophomore Peter Tcheleshev (Old Tappan, N.J.), as his shot in the 68th minute was denied on the goal line by a SJC defender and his blast in the 74th minute bounced off the crossbar.

The Beavers finished with a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 5-1 margin in corner kicks.

Babson will be home again on Sunday, hosting Texas-Dallas at 3 p.m. at Hartwell-Rogers Field. Saint Joe's will play its home opener on Sunday against Wheaton at 2 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Babson is 2-0-1 all-time against Saint Joseph's in a series that dates back to 2014. 
• The Green and White are unbeaten (6-0-1) in season-opening matches dating back to 2016. 
• The Beavers are 27-0-2 since the beginning of the 2021 season when scoring the first goal of the game.