BABSON PARK, Mass.— Senior Laney Reed (West Chester, Pa.) scored her first goal of the season six and a half minutes into overtime to push No. 7 Babson College past No. 4 Williams College, 2-1, in a second straight battle of nationally-ranked field hockey teams Sunday afternoon at MacDowell Field.

With the win, the Beavers improve to 3-0 on the season with their third straight one-goal victory while the Ephs, which defeated second-ranked Tufts on Saturday, 3-1, suffered their first loss of the year and fell to 2-1.

Senior Caroline DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) also scored for the Beavers, and sophomore Penny Baroni (Dennis, Mass.) and junior Grace Mullaney (Boxford, Mass.) registered assists. First-year goalie Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) made three fourth-quarter saves in goal to earn the victory.

First-year Sawyer Rowland (Wilmington, Del.) potted her first career goal for the Ephs, with an assist from senior Pilar Torres (Madison, N.J.). Sophomore Ellie Smith (Wayland, Mass.) made three saves in goal for the Ephs in the setback, including two in overtime.

The defenses were dominating in the first quarter, allowing just one shot for the two teams combined. The Beavers drew first blood with just 46 seconds remaining in the frame after a penalty corner when a Babson shot was blocked and DiGiovanni pounced on the rebound and slammed it past Smith to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead.

Williams carried much of the play in the second quarter and tied the game in the 19th minute on a penalty corner. Junior Laura Ryan (Skytop, Pa.) inserted the ball to senior Kiki Higgins (Weston, Mass.) at the top of the circle, and she slid a pass to Torres on the left side. Torres teed up a shot that Rowland deflected in the slot and into the right corner of the cage to even the score at 1-1.

Babson had a 2-1 shot advantage in the third quarter but none of the shots reached the goal. Both teams increased their scoring chances in the fourth quarter to no avail. Williams had a series of four consecutive penalty corners, and Tibbals kicked away shots by Torres from the left side on the final two. Babson followed with three straight corners of its own, and first-year Anna Bonazzoli (Clinton, Mass.) had back-to-back shots blocked and Baroni's shot from the left side went wide left.

Tibbals kicked away a shot by Higgins with 4:30 remaining to keep the game tied, and DiGiovanni got off a clean shot on a counter attack a minute later but the shot went wide, setting up the overtime.

Baroni mustered the first shot on goal of the extra session for Babson but her attempt from the right side was kicked away by Smith. Williams got off three shots in less than a minute but couldn't get one on goal. Senior Alex Michelotti (Englewood, Colo.) put a shot on goal in the 65th minute for the hosts but was denied by Smith.

The game-winner came in the 67th minute after Baroni dribbled from midfield to the top of the Ephs' circle and found Reed with a pass on the right side of the zone. Reed made a move around a charging Smith and ripped a backhander into the back of the cage for the game-winner.

Babson finished with a 13-12 advantage in total shots and a 5-4 margin in shots on goal. Williams had a 9-5 lead in penalty corners.

The Green and White return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Saint Joseph's (Maine) for a 5 p.m. contest. The Purple and Gold are back on the field Saturday at Amherst at 11 a.m.
 
GAME NOTES
• Babson tied the all-time series between the two teams, 2-2, with all four games in the past four years decided by one goal.
• DiGiovanni has scored a goal in all three Babson games this season.
• Sunday's game was just the third overtime game for the Beavers since 2023, and the first OT victory since edging No. 7 Bates, 1-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on November 11, 2023.
• The Beavers have won 10 of the last 14 games since 2023 in games decided by one goal.
• The Green and White have won 35 games in a row since 2023 when scoring at least two goals.