BABSON PARK, Mass.— Senior Caroline DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) scored the only goal of the game 63 seconds into the fourth quarter as No. 4 Babson College edged No. 8 Bowdoin College, 1-0, in a battle of top-10 ranked field hockey opponents Tuesday afternoon at MacDowell Field.

With the victory, the Beavers captured their ninth win in a row and improved to 13-1 on the season, while the Polar Bears had a four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-3 overall.

First-year goalie Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) made one save for her fourth straight shutout and fifth of the season for the Beavers. Senior Lauren O'Donald (West Springfield, Mass.) made three saves in the Bowdoin goal in the setback.

A stifling Babson defense limited the visiting Polar Bears to just two shots overall and one attempt on goal. The team defense was superb, led by the back line of senior Sanne van der Goes (Glenview, Ill.), junior Emma Smith (Kenilworth, Ill.), sophomore Lauren Golden (New Albany, Ohio) and first-year Anna Bonazzoli (Clinton, Mass.).

The Bowdoin defense was outstanding as well, limiting the Beavers to just nine shots overall and four on target. O'Donald was supported by the back line of senior Lily Clifford (West Bath, Maine), junior Melissa Shunk (Easton, Pa.) and sophomore Ella Davies (Harpswell, Maine).

Babson kept Bowdoin without a shot or a penalty corner in the opening quarter. The Beaver offense managed just one corner of its own, and O'Donald made a pair of saves on DiGiovanni and sophomore Penny Baroni (Dennis, Mass.) late in the quarter to keep the game scoreless.

The Polar Bears had their best chance of the day in the 23rd minute when senior Mackay Bommer (Rye, N.Y.) got free right in front of the Babson goal but her reverse shot was denied by Tibbals. The Beavers had another corner three minutes later but an ensuing shot by DiGiovanni was blocked.

The Green and White had a pair of corners in the third quarter but could not capitalize. Baroni and DiGiovanni had their shots blocked and a long shot from just inside the arc by Bonazzoli was stopped by O'Donald.

Babson finally broke through in the opening minute of the final stanza. van der Goes lifted a long ball from outside the circle into the scoring zone and it bounced through two defenders and into the pads of O'Donald. DiGiovanni pounced on the rebound and ripped a shot past O'Donald to break the deadlock with her 12th goal of the season.

The was the extent of the Babson offense in the fourth quarter but the defense limited the visitors to just one corner in the 48th minute and a shot by junior Maddie Mrva (Shrewsbury, Mass.), which went wide. The Beavers played keep away in the Bowdoin zone much of the last 10 minutes and the clock ran out on the Polar Bears.
Babson finished with a 9-2 advantage in shots, including 4-1 in shots on goal, and had a slim 4-1 margin in penalty corners.

The Beavers are back in action with a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match-up against Clark on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at MacDowell Field. Bowdoin resumes play with a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) contest at No. 11 Wesleyan on Saturday at 12 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers won their second straight game against Bowdoin and are 5-10 all-time against the Polar Bears in a series that dates back to 1985.
• The Green and White are 4-1 against the NESCAC this season, with previous wins over No. 4 Williams (2-1 OT), No. 7 Tufts (2-1 OT) and Trinity (4-2) and a loss to No. 1 Middlebury (5-1).
• Babson is 7-0 at home this season and has won 15 in a row at MacDowell Field dating back to last year.
• Tuesday's win extended Babson's winning streak in the month of October to 60 games since 2018.
• The Green and White are 7-0 in one goal games this season and have won 14 of the last 18 games decided by one goal since 2023.
• DiGiovanni's goal was the 46th of her career, which ranks her ninth on Babson's all-time goal scoring list.