BABSON PARK, Mass.— Senior Laney Reed (West Chester, Pa.) scored the only goal of the game in the 22nd minute, and top-seeded and third-ranked Babson College withstood a fourth-quarter surge by second-seeded and 24th-ranked WPI as the Beavers edged the Engineers, 1-0, for their fifth consecutive NEWMAC field hockey tournament championship Saturday afternoon at MacDowell Field.
 
With their 16th consecutive victory, the Beavers improve to a sparkling 20-1 overall and earn the program’s seventh NEWMAC title overall and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row. WPI had a five-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 14-5 overall, but remain in contention for the NCAA Tournament at-large berth.
 
Junior Helen DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) assisted on the game-winner, sophomore Lauren Golden (New Albany, Ohio) had a key defensive save in the fourth quarter, and first-year Madison Tibbals (Gorham, Maine) made a pair of saves in goal in the victory. Senior Caroline DiGiovanni (Harwich, Mass.) was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
 
Sophomore Myles Lakin (Reading, Mass.) was outstanding in the WPI goal and finished with seven saves in the setback.
 
Babson controlled play for most of the first quarter, earning all four of the penalty corners in the stanza and outshooting the visitors 8-2. Lakin made six saves in the opening frame to keep the game scoreless, and Tibbals made one of her own at the other end.
 
After a busy opening frame, the teams combined for just one shot in the second quarter, and Babson made it count. As WPI was attempting to clear the ball out of its own zone, Helen DiGiovanni poked the ball off the stick of an Engineer defender. Reed scooped up the loose ball, stepped around a charging Lakin, and fired the ball into the empty net for her fifth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead with 8:19 left in the second.
 
The Beavers kept the visitors without any shots in the second and third quarters and held the Engineers deep in their own zone most of the time. Babson had two penalty corners in the second quarter after going ahead, and had four more corners in the third, but Lakin stopped the only shot on goal, and the teams went into the fourth quarter with the score still 1-0.
 
After a quiet seven minutes, WPI was sparked by its first of four penalty corners in the 53rd minute. Tibbals made a save on senior Abbey Powers (Halifax, Mass.) on a corner in the 54th minute, and Golden’s defensive save on Powers after another corner was a game-saver. Graduate student Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) had two more attempts on corner plays, but both were blocked by Babson defenders.
 
The Green and White had a 12-2 advantage in shots through three quarters before WPI took all six shots in the final stanza. The hosts also produced the first 10 penalty corners before WPI recorded four in the fourth quarter.
 
Both teams will learn their NCAA post-season fate when the tournament field is announced at 9 p.m. on Sunday on ncaa.com.
 
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.