Box Score BABSON PARK, Mass.—(Jeremy Viens, Babson) Senior Kat Barker (Dedham, Mass.) scored twice and tacked on an assist as Connecticut College built a three-goal first half lead and held on for a 4-3 win over Babson College in non-conference field hockey action on Saturday afternoon at Dedham Field.
Connecticut College moves to 1-0 with the victory while Babson, which had won a pair of one-goal games to open the season, falls to 2-1.
Barker scored once in each half for the Camels, who also got goals from senior Laura Sanderson (Hanover, N.H.) and first-year Bryn MacGillivray (Westwood, Mass.) to take a 3-0 lead after 35 minutes. Senior Morgan Lockwood (Feeding Hills, Mass.) scored a goal and chipped in with two assists to lead Babson, while junior Caroline Malone (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Elizabeth Holmes (Southborough, Mass.) added a goal apiece.
Barker opened the scoring just 11:50 into the first half when she poked home a loose ball following a penalty corner to give Conn College a 1-0 lead. MacGillivray followed with her first collegiate goal, again following a penalty corner, just 5:39 later as the Camels doubled their advantage. Sanderson then knocked home a loose ball following a scramble in front of the net at the 28:22 mark to make it 3-0 headed into halftime.
Holmes finally got Babson on the board just 4:09 into the second half, drilling a shot inside the left post off a pass from Lockwood, to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Beavers missed a golden opportunity to draw within a goal at the 57:39 mark when first-year Kelsi McDougle (Hopedale, Mass.) pushed her shot just wide of the cage following a centering pass from Malone.
The Camels put the game away for good just moments later as Barker notched her second goal of the game, redirecting a blast from MacGillivray, to regain a 4-1 advantage with 10:38 left in the contest. Malone scored for the third consecutive game at the 63:43 mark, converting a long pass from Lockwood at the back post, and Lockwood added her second goal of the season at 69:35, collecting a loose ball in front of the cage for the final margin.
Senior Kayla Florence (Milton, Mass.) stopped a season-high seven shots for Babson while junior Becca Napolitano (Hamden, Conn.) made four saves to earn the win for Conn College.
The Camels held a 20-14 advantage in shots and an 8-7 advantage in penalty corners on the afternoon.
Babson returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to take on defending national champion Tufts University at 4 p.m., while Conn College will open up NESCAC play when they travel to Middlebury next Saturday in an 11 a.m. start.
Game Notes: With today's win, Conn College now leads the all-time series with Babson 4-3…The Beavers are now 7-3 since the start of the 2012 season in one-goal games…going back to last season, Malone has now scored in eight straight games, and in three career games against the Camels she has scored five goals…the Beavers have dropped four of their last six home games.
