BABSON PARK, MA – A 78th minute goal proved to be too much to overcome, as the Cabrini men's soccer team fell to No. 23 Babson 2-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Tournament this afternoon.

The Blue and White's first road defeat snapped the Cavalier's eight match win streak and closed the club's season with a record of 13-5-2.

It also closed the careers of Cabrini's six graduating seniors, Dakota Bauer, Ben Cahill, Josh Cunningham, Zach Garcia, Christian Rafter and Ray Wilson.

As a group, these student-athletes led the Blue and White to 36 victories, including a 16-2 mark in Atlantic East Conference play, the top seed in three consecutive conference tournaments and the 2021 Atlantic East championship.

Cabrini knew that goals would be at a premium today, as Babson boasted one of the nation's top scoring defenses, but was the Blue and White defense that stood first in the opening 45 minutes.

The Beavers recorded nine first half shots and forced a pair of corner kicks, but the Cavaliers were up to the task, as sophomore goaltender MJ Graham notched two of his three saves on the day in the first stanza.

The score sheet remained clean until the 51st minute, when Babson's Eamon Keenan found the back of the net.

The Cavaliers evened the score in the 68th minute, as Cunningham's pass found sophomore Nolan Holloway for his fourth goal of the season.

The home side created several chances over the next 10 minutes before netting the eventual game-winner in the 77th minute on Giancarlo Arguello's fourth marker of the campaign.

Cabrini pressed for an equalizer over the final 12 minutes, but could only find two shot attempts in the final minutes, with both missing the target.

Junior Matt Duddy recorded three of Cabrini's nine shots on the day, one more than Holloway and senior Nick Booth.

With today's victory, Babson (12-4-3) advances to Sunday's second round, where it will face No. 19 Amherst, who defeated Rosemont 5-0 in today's first round.