BABSON PARK, Mass. — First-year Josie Lee (Duxbury, Mass.) scored a goal late in the first half for Babson College, and Wheaton College countered with a second-half strike as the two schools finished in a 1-1 tie in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's soccer opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at rainy Hartwell-Rogers Field.

The Beavers registered their second 1-1 deadlock in less than 24 hours, extending their unbeaten streak to four games, and are now 2-3-2 overall (0-0-1 NEWMAC) while Wheaton posted its third straight draw to remain undefeated on the season at 4-0-3 overall (0-0-1 NEWMAC).

Lee picked up her second goal of the season for the Beavers and senior Camryn Ward (Southbury, Conn.) registered her first assist. Senior Nora Ryan (Abington, Mass.) was forced to make just one save in the Beaver goal in the draw.

Sophomore Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) potted her third goal of the season for the Lyons and first-year Gina Trovato (Simsbury, Conn.) earned her second assist. Junior Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) made five saves between the pipes for the visitors.

The Beavers dominated play over the first 45 minutes, outshooting the Lyons 12-0, including 5-0 in shots on goal, but it wasn't until the 45th minute that the Green and White found the back of the net. Lee ran down a long lead pass on the right side just inside the box, turned a fired a shot over the head of Bandrup into the far corner of the net for a 1-0 lead with just 52 seconds left on the opening half.

Babson had three earlier attempts that nearly led to a goal. Bandrup deflected a shot by first-year Mack Feeney (North Attleboro, Mass.) over the net in the 14th minute, then came off her line to stop senior Elisa Diletizia (Canton, Mass.) from close range in the 22nd minute. Senior Jordyn Ferrantino (Millis, Mas.) got one past Bandrup in the 24th minute but junior Mia Wolfgang (Holliston, Mass.) cleared the ball away from the goal line to keep the game scoreless.

The second half was a different story as the Lyons controlled much of the play. They just missed a tying goal in the 46th minute as Wolfgang created some space and got off a strong shot from 15 yards out which Ryan denied. Wheaton tallied the equalizer in the 70th minute when Roche took a pass from Trovato and lined a shot from 20 yards out over a diving Ryan to level the score at 1-1.

Each team had a couple of opportunities in the final 20 minutes but no major threats. Babson finished with a 17-2 advantage in shots, 8-2 in shots on goal, and the home team had a 7-3 margin in corner kicks.

The Beavers play their next four games against NEWMAC foes, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. at Coast Guard in New London, Conn. Wheaton returns home to host Endicott in non-conference play on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Babson has a 15-28-10 record against Wheaton in the career series that dates back to 1981.
• The Green and White have scored first in four straight games and are 10-2-3 since last year when scoring the opening goal of the match. 
• The Beavers are 26-1-3 going back to 2021 when leading at the half.
• Babson is 22-5-8 in its last 35 games against NEWMAC foes dating back to 2021, including the post-season.