NEWPORT, R.I.—Senior Clare Connolly (Hanover, Mass.) produced career-highs of seven goals and 24 draw controls and broke the NCAA Division III record for career draw controls as No. 14/16 Babson College rolled past Salve Regina University, 19-7, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon at Gaudet Field.

Babson, ranked 14th by the IWLCA and 16th by USA Lacrosse Magazine, won its fourth straight game to improve to 7-2 overall and 6-0 in the NEWMAC. Salve Regina dropped its fourth game in a row to dip to 2-8 overall and 1-4 in conference play.

The Beavers also got four goals and two assists from senior Jessica Evans (Southbury, Conn.), three goals and two helpers from classmate Kathryn Blake (Medfield, Mass.) and two goals and two assists from fellow senior Amelia Novitch (Dover, Mass.) while classmate Nora Lema (Duxbury, Mass.) collected a game-high three assists. Blake recorded a team-high two caused turnovers and three ground balls, and senior goalie Kathleen Murphy (Scarborough, Maine) finished with six saves in 45 minutes between the pipes.

First-year Nora Cooney (Portsmouth, R.I.) led the Seahawks with two goals and one assist and classmate Adelaide Baird (Springfield, Va.) contributed two goals and one assist. Senior Cameron Baston (Plantsville, Conn.) grabbed a pair of draw controls and Baird scooped up two ground balls. First-year Flynn Kayajan (Hyannis, Mass.) grabbed seven ground balls and made a season-high 24 saves in the setback.

After Evans and Baston exchanges goals in the first three minutes of the game, Connolly heated up and fired in three consecutive goals in a three-minute span as Babson took a 4-1 lead. Senior Cameron Rabenold (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Evans scored 21 second apart midway through the quarter and senior Michaela Downer (North Andover, Mass.) and Novitch tallied goals less than a minute apart as the Beavers lead grew to 8-1 with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Cooney stopped the bleeding for Salve to close out the stanza.

Lema set up Blake and Evans for goals by Babson to open the second quarter before senior Edie Threshie (Stratford, Conn.) got one back for the hosts. Blake scored twice in a 45-second surge to up the Beaver lead to 12-3, but Salve responded with a pair of player-up goals by Baird and sophomore Alix Madden (Plymouth, Mass.). The Green and White pulled away with the next five goals, including three by Connolly and one each from Novitch and Evans, are the Beavers pulled ahead by a count of 17-5 in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

The Beavers were successful on all 13 clear attempts while holding the Seahawks to just 13 of 23 clears. The Green and White had advantages in shots (52-15), ground balls (17-14), and draw controls (24-4).

Babson returns home to host MIT in a key NEWMAC game on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at MacDowell Field. Salve Regina plays at Wheaton on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Babson is 5-0 all-time against Salve Regina in a series that dates back to 2001, with all five wins coming by at least seven goals.
• Connolly's career total of 643 career draw controls broke the all-time Division III record  of 637 by Emily Wadds of Wittenberg from 2016-19.
• Blake has scored at least two goals in 10 straight games dating back to last season.
• The Beavers, who have won 27 consecutive games against NEWMAC opponents going back to 2023, have outscored their six conference opponents 125-33 this spring.