Blue Lacrosse Falls to Babson in Regular Season Finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wellesley (3-13, 1-9) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Babson (14-2, 10-0) | 13 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 25 |
BABSON PARK, Mass. – Wellesley College lacrosse concluded the 2024 regular season on Wednesday, falling 25-1 in NEWMAC play to No. 17 Babson College at MacDowell Field.
Babson capped an undefeated NEWMAC regular season (14-2, 10-0 NEWMAC) with the victory, clinching the top seed in the 2024 NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse Championship with postseason play set to begin on Saturday, April 27. Wellesley (3-13, 1-9 NEWMAC) closed out the 2024 regular season with the setback.
Sophomore Finley Tipton (Coppell, Texas) scored her team leading 51st goal of the season for the Blue in the second half. Tipton finished the regular season as Wellesley's leader in both goals (51) and points (59) in 2024 after posting 30 goals as a first year in 2023.
Twelve different players scored for the Beavers in the contest, with first year Mia Fierro (Oswego, N.Y), senior Nicole Darveau (Sudbury, Mass), junior Clare Connolly (Hanover, Mass), graduate student Lily Ives (Chappaqua, N.Y.), junior Michaela Downer (North Andover, Mass.), and junior Kathryn Blake (Medfield, Mass.) each recording a hat trick. Ives added four assists to finish with a game-high seven points.
Babson blitzed the Blue in the opening quarter, scoring 24 seconds into the game to ignite a 13-0 run through the opening 15 minutes of play. The Beavers added four goals in the second quarter to take a commanding 17-0 lead into the half. Tipton got the Blue on the board in the third quarter following a pair of Babson goals. The Beavers then scored the final six goals in the game to close out the victory.
Wellesley goalkeepers Anna Blake Patrick (Portland, Ore.) and Cianna Salvatora (Pittsburgh, Pa.) split time in the Wellesley goal, combining for nine saves as Babson finished the contest with a 35-5 advantage in shots on goal. Patrick made six saves in the opening thirty minutes and Salvatora turned back three shots in the second half.
Junior Kathleen Murphy (Scarborough, Maine) earned the win for the Beavers, making one stop in a shutout first half before giving way to first years Morgan McGahan (Ho Ho Kus, N.J.) and Valentina Erigoyen (Miami, Fla.) after the break. McGahan And Erigoyen combined to make four saves.
Babson finished the game with an 18-10 advantage in draw controls and a 25-8 edge in ground balls, forcing 26 Wellesley turnovers while committing only 16.