WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.— First-year Hannah Herlihy (Andover, Mass.) scored both goals as No. 7 Williams College pulled out a highly-contested 2-0 victory over No. 6 Babson College in a non-conference top-10 field hockey game Thursday evening at Williamson Field.
With the loss, the Beavers fall to 2-2 on the season while Williams improves to 2-0 overall. The outcome marked the first game that Babson was shut out since a 1-0 overtime loss at Williams on September 8, 2024.
Sophomore
Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) did her best to keep Williams at bay, finishing with five saves. Junior
Penny Baroni (Dennis, Mass.) led the offensive attack with two of her five shots on goal while senior
Grace Mullaney (Boxford, Mass.) had three shots.
Senior Haley McAuslin (Cumberland, Maine) assisted on both Williams goals, both of which were scored on penalty corners for the Ephs. Junior Ellie Smith (Wayland, Mass.) made five saves of her own in goal in the victory.
After a scoreless opening quarter that featured two shots per team, the Beavers nearly took the lead midway through the second frame but senior
Helen DiGiovanni's (Harwich, Mass.) shot from the right side went wide past the far post.
The Green and White had another good opportunity in the 26th minute when senior
Ashley Braren (Westwood, Mass.) deflected a feed into the circle that went up and over the goalie's shoulder but went wide right.
Williams finally broke through in the 41st minute. The insertion came to McAuslin on the left side, who made a crossing pass to Herlihy on the right edge of the circle, and she fired a shot through a screened goalie inside the left post for first career goal.
Babson had a chance to tie in the first minute of the fourth quarter but Braren redirected a long ball from senior
Emma Smith (Kenilworth, Ill.) inside the circle but Ellie Smith made the save.
The Ephs tacked on an insurance goal in the 52nd minute on another penalty corner, very similar to the first goal from the opposite side. The ball was inserted to McAuslin on the right side, who passed to Herlihy on the left edge, and she ripped a shot past Tibbals to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Beavers kept the pressure on with four shots in the final five minutes, including one by Baroni that hit the post, but could not get a shot into the back of the net.
Williams had a narrow 17-16 shot margin in total, including a 7-5 edge in attempts on target, and a 7-3 advantage in penalty corners.
Babson is back on the road again on Sunday for a tough match-up at No. 5 Middlebury at 12 p.m. Williams plays at Trinity on Saturday in Hartford, Conn. at 12 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Babson is now 2-3 all-time against Williams and have alternated wins and losses in a series that dates back to 2022.
• The Beavers are 1-2 this season in games against top-10 opponents.
• The Green and White are 1-1 on the road this season and 17-4 as the visiting team since the start of the 2024 season.
