NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament, 1st Round
Cabrini University Cavaliers (13-4-2, 6-0 Atlantic East) vs. #23 Babson College Beavers (11-4-3, 4-1-2 NEWMAC)
Saturday, Nov. 13, 1pm
Hartwell-Rogers Field, Babson Park, MA

Game Day Links: Live Stats (XML), Webcast, Digital Program
View NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Tournament Interactive Bracket
View NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Tournament Digital Program
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Tickets
Admission for a single day session is $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students with ID and $2 for children ages 3-12. Children two and under with an adult will be free.

What's at Stake?
Saturday's winner will advance to Sunday's second round, where it will face either #19 Amherst or Rosemont, who meet at 10:30am in Saturday's first opening round game. Sunday's winner will move ahead to next Friday's third round at a location yet to be announced.

How Cabrini Got Here
The Cavaliers will make their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, and first since 2017, on Saturday after claiming the program's 11th conference title. Cabrini earned the Atlantic East Conference's automatic bid after a 4-0 win over Neumann in the championship game.

Six different Cavaliers marked the score sheet in the victory, with four recording goals. Sophomore Nolan Holloway (23') and senior Tyler Jankowski (28') got on the board in the first half, while sophomore Nick LoBiondo (57') and senior Christian Rafter (63') added markers after the halftime break.

While the Blue and White offense was hitting on all cylinders, outshooting the Knights 15-4, Cabrini's defensive effort controlled Neumann from the opening whistle. The Cavaliers held the Knights to just four shots, Neumann's second fewest of the season.

Sophomore goaltender MJ Graham was called on for just one save to record his third consecutive shutout and run his record to 10-0 on the season.  

Scouting the Cavaliers
After starting the season 4-0, the Cavaliers went through a 1-4-1 stretch, but a 1-1 draw at Stevenson sparked the club to a 6-0-1 run to finish the regular season. When added to a pair of Atlantic East Conference Tournament victories, the Blue and White will carry an eight match win streak in the NCAA Tournament.

Cabrini owns both the top scoring offense (2.37 goals) and the stingiest defensive unit (1.05 goals) in the Atlantic East.

LoBiondo, who was recently named Atlantic East Player of the Year, proved to be the Blue and White's top offensive threat throughout the season, as his 10 goals, six assists and 26 total points led the club and ranked second in the Atlantic East.

Jankowski's six goals and 14 points ranked second on the team and fifth in the conference. The senior burst onto the scene with both goals in Cabrini's 2-1 win over William Paterson and added another two goal effort at King's.

Fellow senior Nick Booth tallied 11 points on four goals and three assists, each third on the team, while Rafter matched Booth with 11 points on three goals and five helpers from his reserve role.

Graham has provided the Blue and White backstop since returning from a wrist injury. The sophomore went 10-0 in his 11 starts and boasted a 0.69 goals against average, best in the Atlantic East.

Graham is assisted by a stingy group of defenders, including Atlantic East Defensive Player of the Year in senior Josh Cunningham, classmate Ben Cahill, junior Jake Scully and sophomore Jalen Hammond.

How Babson Got Here
The Beavers will make their 29th NCAA Tournament appearance on Saturday and 10th in the last 13 seasons after earning an automatic bid as champions of the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).

After suffering a 1-0 loss to No. 13 MIT on Oct. 23, the Beavers responded on Championship Saturday, scoring a season high four goals in a 4-1 victory to claim their second consecutive NEWMAC title.

Junior Jack Dugan put Babson on the board in the fourth minute. The Beavers held the slim lead until the final 20 minutes of action. Seniors Eamon Keenan and Giancarlo Arguello scored in the 71st and 72nd minutes before classmate Ben Cawood closed the Beavers' scoring in the 82nd minute.

While MIT held a slim 16-15 advantage in shots, Babson's senior goaltender Itai Rubin kept it off the board for 85 minutes, recording eight saves in the win.

Scouting the Beavers
Much of the Beavers' success starts from its back line of defense. The club has surrendered just nine goals over its 11 contests. Only six teams have conceded fewer goals on the season, as the unit ranks eight nationally in scoring defense and 17th in shutout percentage.

Rubin anchors the effort, as the 2021 NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year ranks fifth in the country with a .890 save percentage, while his nine shutouts rank eighth and .479 goals against average 10th.

Offensively, the Beavers get contributions up and down its roster, as 15 plyers have recorded at least one goal. Dugan and Arguello lead the way with three goals each, while a trio of Beavers have marked the score sheet twice.

Babson has also recorded 19 assists on its 22 goals this season, with Dugan's four leading the club.