WPI 2, Babson 1

Box Score                   

Worcester, MA --- Seniors Sarah Tracy (Oakland, ME) and Nicole Maglione (Charlton, MA) netted goals less than eight minutes apart in the second half to help host WPI rally for a thrilling 2-1 victory over Babson in a NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinal contest on Saturday afternoon.  WPI improves to 11-7 while Babson sees its season come to an end with an 11-9 record. 

The victory was the first for the Engineers in NEWMAC Tournament action since a 1-0 win over Smith on October 28th, 1999. 

With the win, WPI advances to next Saturday's semifinals where they will face top-seed and host Springfield at 11am.  The Pride won their quarterfinal contest with MIT 2-0. 

Jess Paladino (Turner, ME) opened the scoring for the Beavers at the 29:21 mark when she knocked her 14th goal of the season following a wild scramble in front of the net.  Colleen Kelly (Milton, MA) was credited with an assist on the play.  The goal capped an opening 30 minutes of play that saw the Beavers take all nine shots and attempt all nine penalty corners. 

WPI was able to muster some momentum just before the break attempting three shots.  The Engineers came out of the locker room and continued to apply pressure, evening the game when Tracy buried a perfect cross by Kelly Johnson (Buxton, ME) at 41:13.  Then, playing a person down due to a yellow card, the Crimson and Gray scored the game-winner when Maglione knocked home a rebound following a Johnson shot at 48:56. 

Babson would not go away quietly, taking five of the final six shots of the game.  The Beavers were awarded a penalty corner in the waning seconds and got a quality shot on net but WPI goalkeeper Betsy Ray (Simsbury, CT) made the save to secure the victory.  Ray was strong in net for the Engineers, making six stops on the day while Jessica Pashos (Winchester, MA) was credited with four saves for the Beavers. 

For the game, Babson enjoyed a 14-8 advantage in shots and a 13-9 edge in penalty corners.