THE BASICS:
 
- Score: Babson College 15, MIT 14
 
- Records: MIT (11-5, 4-2 NEWMAC); Babson (10-4, 6-0 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Babson Park, Mass. (MacDowell Field)
 
- The Lead: In a back-and-forth NEWMAC men's lacrosse game that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes, Babson College scored with 1:02 remaining in regulation and held on for a 15-14 win over MIT in the final game of the regular season on Saturday. Graduate student Ryan Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) led the way for the Engineers with six goals and an assist.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Babson took an early 2-0 lead but a man-up goal by first year Garrett Campagna (Lancaster, Pa.) followed by strikes from first year Zach Bleil (New Canaan, Conn.) and Gebhardt put MIT in front with just under seven minutes left in the quarter. The Beavers countered with a 3-1 run, resulting in a 5-4 edge at the end of the frame.
 
- The Engineers generated their own 3-1 burst which put them in front with 4:02 remaining in the second quarter. First year Bryce Metalios (Riverside, Conn.) produced the first and third goal, which came 53 seconds after a solo effort by Gebhardt. Babson replied with a pair of goals, helping it take an 8-7 edge heading into halftime.
 
- A man-up goal just 16 seconds into the third quarter created some breathing room for the hosts. However, MIT rattled off three unanswered goals as strikes by senior Tory Lentine (Flemington, N.J.) sandwiched a Gebhardt goal. During the last 8:25 of the period the Beavers outscored the Engineers, 3-1, as a man-up goal put them ahead, 12-11, with 26 seconds remaining.
 
- Babson carried the momentum into the fourth quarter as it found the back of the net after 1:41 elapsed. MIT recorded three straight goals, helping it take a 14-13 edge with 7:43 on the clock. Junior Heath Nilsen (Carlsbad, Calif.) scored back-to-back goals, Gebhardt accounted for a goal and an assist on Nilsen's second goal, and Campagna earned assists for Nilsen and Gebhardt's goals. The Beavers ended their scoring drought by producing the tying goal at the 6:54 mark. Both teams had opportunities to take the lead, but Babson broke the stalemate as a turnover set up what proved to be the game-winning goal with 1:02 remaining. The Engineers won the ensuing faceoff but turned the ball over with 34 seconds to play.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Nilsen finished with two goals and an assist as Campagna posted one goal and two assists. In addition to his two goals, Metalios registered five groundballs. Sophomore Nico Bowden (Concord, Mass.) and senior Chris Perrino (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) both totaled three groundballs while Bowden generated two caused turnovers. Sophomore Matthew Sardis (Bernardsville, N.J.) won 15 of his 28 faceoff attempts and collected 11 groundballs as senior Devin McCabe (New Castle, N.H.) made nine saves.
 
- Sardis broke the MIT record for career groundballs, eclipsing the mark of 372 which was set by Eli Weinberg '02. His tally of 381 currently ranks sixth among active Division III players.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NEWMAC Tournament. Recipients of a first-round bye, the Engineers will travel to No. 2 Springfield College for a semifinal game on Thursday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m.
 
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