Beavers 2nd in Home 7's Tournament

Saturday, April 14th

This past weekend Babson wrapped up their NEC7C season hosting a 5-team tournament on Harrington Rugby Pitch.  Bentley, UMass-Lowell, St. Anselm, and New England College all traveled to participate in the competition on the cool and sunny spring day.

Babson started strong out of the gates, topping St. Anselm in their first match of the day, 26-12.  The first half was a close match with both sides breaking the opposition defense for long scores, however Babson was able to force multiple turnovers in the second half and maintain possession to pull away for the win.

Game 2 pitted Babson against familiar opponent Bentley, having played them twice the previous weekend at Endicott 7's.  This match was an exciting back and forth contest, with both clubs refusing to give in.  Tries were traded throughout the game, and Babson was able to tie the match late in the second period, and the game ended tied 17-17.

The third match-up of the day saw Babson jump out to an early lead against UMass Lowell and never look back.  Multiple freshmen played significant minutes in this match, earning valuable experience in the 37-0 win.

Babson's final game in pool play put them up against New England College, and the large side from New Hampshire gave the Beavers all they could handle.  Strong rucking allowed NEC to maintain possession for long stretches of the match, putting constant pressure on Babson's defense.  However a few lucky breaks allowed Babson offensive opportunities, highlighted by an 85-meter kick and chase-down try which put Babson ahead for good, winning 17-5.

After pool play had concluded, Babson found themselves in 2nd place behind only Bentley by virtue of point differential, as both clubs posted 3-0-1 records in pool play.  With the 5-team tournament format, Babson & Bentley faced off in the Championship match.

Having lost one player to injury, and another to a scheduling conflict, Babson found themselves with limited substitutes for this final game.  The starters were asked to go the distance in this one, and unfortunately fatigue began to show a few minutes into the match.  Bentley showed why they are one of the top teams in D2, consistently recycling the ball with smart offloads and long passes out wide.  Babson made a few long runs of their own, but with tired legs the support wasn't always there, leading to a few turnovers.  The final score was 31-5 in favor of Bentley, but the women of Babson WRFC gave their full effort throughout.

Babson concludes the NEC7C season tied for 5th place overall - a resounding success against some of the top D2 clubs in New England.

Final NEC7C Standings
1) Bentley - 32 pts
2) Endicott - 23 pts
3) Stonehill - 16 pts
4) Bryant - 15 pts
T5) UNH - 11 pts
T5) Providence - 11 pts
T5) Babson - 11 pts
8) MIT - 9 pts
T9) Colby-Sawyer - 7 pts
T9) UMass Lowell - 7 pts
T9) Wheaton - 7 pts
12) Wesleyan - 5 pts
13) Holy Cross - 2 pts

Babson continues their spring season this coming weekend with a 7's scrimmage against Wellesley and Framingham State, and will wrap up their season on Sunday, April 29th at the MIT Prom Dress 7's.