BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Liam Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.) scored in the 52nd minute as No. 11 Babson College defeated visiting Wesleyan University, 1-0, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Hartwell-Rogers Field. 

With its ninth consecutive win, Babson improves to 16-1-6 on the year. The Beavers also punched their ticket to the sectional semifinals for the first time since 2011. Wesleyan sees its year come to a close at 8-5-5. 

Senior goalkeeper Walker White (Coral Gables, Fla.) finished with three saves for the Beavers. His counterpart, Cardinals' junior Mathis Blanc (Palo Alto, Cali.) stopped five shots in the loss. 

Following a scoreless first half that featured quality chances for both sides, Rhatigan put the Green and White in front less than seven minutes into the second half. He settled a loose ball off the head of a Wesleyan defender, took a touch to his right and drilled a 22-yard shot past Blanc and inside the left post for his sixth goal of the season. 

White, who made a pair of first-half saves, preserved the lead with his best stop of the day in the 60th minute. Cardinals' senior Chris Porte (Madison, Conn.) gained possession of a pass played over the top of the defense but was denied when White came racing off his line and extended his left foot to kick away the shot. 

The Beavers outshot the visitors 9-6 in the first half and created multiple chances off of their five corner kicks. Graduate student Marco Cerezo (Malaga, Spain) had a header sail just over the crossbar in the 19th minute and had another header cleared off the line by Wesleyan senior Lucas Ruehlemann (Waldwick, N.J.) in the 41st minute. 

The Green and White finished with a 12-10 edge in shots and attempted six of the seven corner kicks in the match. 

Babson will now face Trinity (Texas) in the sectional semifinals. The game date and location will be announced later on Sunday. 

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.