BABSON PARK, Mass.— Senior Laney Reed (West Chester, Pa.) scored the only goal of the game in the 18th minute, and No. 3 Babson College withstood a fourth-quarter surge to defeat No. 7 Wesleyan University, 1-0, in an NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament quarterfinal Sunday afternoon at MacDowell Field.

With their 18th consecutive victory, the Beavers improve to 22-1 and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the second time in three years and third time in program history. Wesleyan, playing in the quarterfinals for the first time in program history, sees its season end with a 16-5 record.

Junior Grace Mullaney (Boxford, Mass.) assisted on the only Babson goal a day after scoring the game-winner against No. 16 Bowdoin in Saturday's second round. First-year goalie Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) made two saves in goal for her ninth shutout of the season and the team's 11th whitewash.

Senior Audrey Pace (Los Gatos, Calif.) made one save in goal for the Cardinals, which had a 9-3 advantage in total shots and 5-3 margin in penalty corners. Shots on goal were even between the two teams at just two apiece.

It was a dominant defensive effort for both teams all afternoon. The only shot of the first quarter for either team was an attempt by Babson senior Caroline DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) with just over a minute remaining, but it was blocked by a Wesleyan defender.

The Green and White earned back-to-back penalty corners early in the second quarter. Sophomore Penny Baroni (Dennis, Mass.) got a shot off on the second corner, which was saved by Pace, but Mullaney, who had inserted the corner from the left side, came rushing over and sent the rebound to Reed on the far post, and Reed knocked in the pass at 17:54 for her sixth goal and fifth game-winner of the season.

Wesleyan had a pair of shots in the 25th minute to no avail as senior Georgia Adams' (Andover, Mass.) attempt was blocked by a Babson defender and first-year Emily Smith's (Boston, Mass.) shot was denied by Tibbals.

The defenses continued to limit scoring opportunities in the third quarter. Babson had a penalty corner in the 36th minute but was unable to capitalize and Wesleyan's first corner of the game in the 41st minute led to a shot by Adams but it was blocked.

The Cardinals had a decisive advantage in field play in the fourth quarter, pinning the hosts in their own end most of the way and outshooting the Beavers 6-0 with four corners. Sophomore Leila Feldman (La Jolla, Calif.) had a pair of attempts early in the quarter but one was wide and the second was blocked. Tibbals stopped a shot by Smith in the 50th minute on a penalty corner, and two other Wesleyan corners were defended well by Babson to prevent any damage.

Wesleyan pulled its goalie with 2:38 remaining in favor of an extra attacker, and Babson received a yellow card with in the final minute of regulation for a two-attacker advantage. The Cardinals were awarded a corner with six seconds remaining and another untimed corner after time had expired but Babson's defense prevented any goals to secure the win.

The Beavers will take on No. 2 Johns Hopkins on Friday at 3:30 at Robin L. Sheppard Field in Hartford, Conn., with the winner advancing to the national championship game on Sunday at 12 p.m. No. 1 Christopher Newport will face No. 6 Tufts in Friday's first semifinal at 12 p.m.
 
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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.