No. 12 Field Hockey vs. Springfield
Tuesday, October 20 | 6:00 p.m.
MacDowell Field | Babson Park, Mass.

SERIES HISTORY
• Babson owns a 23-18 lead against Springfield in the all-time series that dates back to 1996.
• The Beavers have won 18 in a row over the Pride, including nine of the last 11 encounters by at least three goals.
• The Green and White have won the last 11 games versus Springfield at MacDowell Field since a 6-3 Pride win in the 2012 NEWMAC Tournament semifinals.

LAST MEETING
• Top-seeded and third-ranked Babson scored a pair of goals two minutes apart in the second quarter and a smothering defense held fourth-seeded Springfield to just one shot on goal for a 2-0 victory in a NEWMAC tournament semifinal on November 6, 2025, at MacDowell Field.
• Caroline DiGiovanni '26 and junior Penny Baroni were the goal scorers for the Beavers, and senior Grace Mullaney collected a pair of assists. Sophomore Madison Tibbals finished with one save for her fifth shutout of the season, with help from a back line of Sanne van der Goes '26, senior Emma Smith, junior Lauren Golden, and sophomore Anna Bonazzoli.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Sam Orcutt did her best in goal to keep the Pride in the game and finished with five saves.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• No. 12 Babson (9-6, 5-1 NEWMAC) got back on the winning track with an 8-0 whitewash at Clark last Saturday in Worcester.
• Senior Ashley Braren and first-year Kate Schneider scored two goals each and Baroni added a goal and an assist for the Beavers. Seniors Helen DiGiovanni, Mullaney and Smith also scored goals, and Golden, junior Charlotte Roe and sophomore Molly DiGiulio provided assists. Tibbals and first-year Carly Spinner each played one half in goal to combine on the shutout, with Spinner making the only save in the fourth quarter.
• Baroni (10-5-25) and DiGiovanni (11-1-23) are both in the top three in the NEWMAC in goals and top six in points and Smith (1-7-9) is tied for third in assists. First-year Kate Schneider (7-0-14) is third on the team in goals, and Mullaney (3-5-11), Braren (5-0-10) and Golden (3-3-9) have contributed offensively.
• Tibbals (1.20 GAA, 29 svs, 4 SO) ranks second in the NEWMAC in goals against average. Spinner (0.67 GAA) has made five appearances in relief, allowing one goal and making three saves in 90 minutes of action.

SCOUTING THE PRIDE
• Springfield (8-6, 2-4 NEWMAC) has won its last two games following a 2-1 overtime conference victory over Mount Holyoke on Saturday in Springfield.
• Sophomore Clare Moore scored the game-winner in the 70th minute on a penalty corner, with an assist from senior Amber Wolkner. Senior Sophia Sares potted the first goal for Springfield in the first quarter, with Wolkner assisting, and Orcutt made two saves in the victory.
• Sophomore Rachel Simkewicz (9-4-22) has three multi-goal outings for the Pride and leads the team in scoring. Senior Ava Coppola (6-2-14) had a hat trick earlier this season against St. Joseph's (Maine), and Sares (3-2-8), Moore (3-1-7) and first-year Lily Bialack (3-1-7) each have notched three goals for the Pride.
• Orcutt (8-6, 1.14 GAA, 2 SO), who has started all 14 games this season for the Pride, leads the NEWMAC in goals against average and ranks second with a .809 save percentage.

REGULAR SEASON RACE
• With six games down and three to go in the NEWMAC regular season slate, the race to the playoffs is starting to take shape.
• MIT (6-0) is in the driver's seat entering the weekend, while Babson (5-1) is right on its heels and WPI (4-2) and Smith (4-2) are on the way to hosting a first-round playoff game.
• Wheaton (3-3) and Wellesley (3-3) are currently in position to claim the final two playoff spots.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
• Babson is 5-1 at home this fall and 44-2 at MacDowell Field since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Three of the five wins this season and 28 of the 44 home victories over the past four years have come by way of the shutout.
• The Green and White have outscored their opponents at home this season 30-7.

DOUBLED UP
• With her two goals against Clark, Braren became the sixth different Babson player to score at least two goals in a game this season.
• DiGiovanni scored twice in games against Endicott, Wellesley, and Smith; Baroni notched two goals against Saint Joseph's (Maine) and Smith and three vs. the University of New England; and Schneider notched a pair against both Mount Holyoke and Clark.
• Braren, Golden (Wellesley), and first-year Julia Krepelka (WPI) each have one two-goal performance.

DECISIVE OUTCOMES
• The Beavers have outscored their opponents 44-2 in their nine victories with seven shutouts.
• The Green and White have been outscored 15-3 in their six losses and blanked four times.

BEAVER BITES
• Baroni has four goals and two assists in her last three games, and DiGiovanni has collected four goals in her last four outings.
• Schneider has tallied four goals in six games in October.
• Smith, who has points in four of six outings this month, has registered all seven of her career assists this season.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
• Babson is 9-0 this season and has won 93 straight games going back to 2021 when leading at halftime. 
• The Beavers have outscored their opponents 11-1 in the first quarter this fall and have conceded just two goals in the opening stanza over their last 22 games going back to November of last season. 
• The Green and White are 9-0 this fall and 25-0 since the start of last season when scoring first.

UP NEXT
• The Beavers head to Rhode Island on Saturday to take on Salve Regina at noon in Middletown, R.I.