SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Two goals over the final six minutes of play powered Babson College to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Beavers move to 8-7-3 overall and are now 5-2-3 in conference play. The Lyons close out their 2017 campaign with a 2-14-2 mark, going 0-9-1 in NEWMAC action.
Mount Holyoke held a 1-0 lead until the 84th minute as junior back Julia Lindsay (Newton, Mass./Newton North) sent in a perfectly placed header through traffic in front of the Lyons goal. Sophomore midfielder Maggie McCabe (Weston, Mass./The Rivers School) earned the assist after her well-struck corner fell to Lindsay for the equalizer.
McCabe went on to help the visitors earn the go-ahead, stepping up to the line once again on a corner kick attempt. Her shot sailed in, finding the foot of junior midfielder Jessica DeLuca (Sudbury, Mass./Noble and Greenough) in a scramble. Her shot cleared through traffic and past Lyons keeper Amanda Manaster (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) in the 88th minute.
MHC opened the game's scoring in the 13th minute on a heads-up play at the edge of the offensive zone. Collecting the ball off a quick pass, senior forward Sara Sanaú Ruiz (Zaragoza, Spain/P.P. Domenicos-Cardenal Xavierre) made a short turn, firing to ball to a quick moving sophomore Minerva Veeser-Bobea (Arlington, Mass./Arlington). Racing past a pair of defenders, Veeser-Bobea battled around the goalie for a wide-open shot on net and the 1-0 lead.
Babson, which held a 29-4 advantage in shots for the contest, saw junior Maddison Gierschick (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) earn the win with a three-save effort. Manaster posted 12 saves in the loss for the Lyons. The Beavers also owned a 12-1 edge in corner kicks for the afternoon.
Prior to today's contest, the Lyons also celebrated Senior Day, recognizing the squad's seven members from the Class of 2018. Included in this year's class are Sanaú Ruiz, Sophie Manum (Seattle, Wash./Garfield), Jentrie Grissom (North Ogden, Utah/Weber), Nicole De Araujo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Beacon), Molly Hershkowitz (Boston, Mass./Beaver Country Day School) and twins Liz Rose and Suz Rose (South Hamilton, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham Regional).
The Beavers return to action on Tuesday when they host a NEWMAC Tournament Quarterfinal match as the third-seed in the upcoming event. MHC concludes their season with today's contest.
