BABSON PARK, Mass. (Oct. 8, 2011) – The Mount Holyoke College soccer team came up just short in its bid to knock off first-place Babson College this afternoon at Hartwell-Rogers Field. Both teams went scoreless until the 78:54 mark, when first year midfielder Avika Shah found the back of the net for what proved to be the winner. The Beavers tacked on one more goal down the stretch to escape with a 2-0 victory. They have prevailed in all five of their NEWMAC matches this season.

Shah broke the deadlock with just over 11 minutes remaining in regulation, when she collected a loose ball off her own blocked pass and ripped a shot into the upper right corner from the top of the box. It was her second tally of the year.

Just over two minutes later, junior forward Amy Festa put things out of reach with her fourth goal of the season. Classmate Kelly Hanly got the play started with a cross from the right corner that Shah headed to the left side of the box. The ball made its way to Festa, who proceeded to snap a header past a diving Mackenzie Randall inside the right post.

Babson (10-2-1, 5-0-0 NEWMAC) finished with advantages in both shots (26-10) and corners (7-0). Senior goalkeeper Lisa Wojnar made five saves en route to her eighth shutout of the season. Randall turned away seven shots for the Lyons.

Mount Holyoke's best chances both came in the second half. After Wojnar made a lunging denial on a shot from the right side by junior forward Kiana Lussier in the 70^th minute, she came up with a clean catch on first year midfielder Hannah Yee's free kick from 35 yards out in the 75^th minute.

Lussier recorded six shots in the contest, while Yee had three.

The Lyons (3-6-0, 2-3-0 NEWMAC) are slated to visit Connecticut College on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.