BABSON PARK, Mass. (taken from a Babson College press release) -- In a battle of two of the top 10 teams in New England, Babson College scored one goal in each half to claim a 2-0 victory over visiting Brandeis University in non-conference men’s soccer action on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Babson, ranked third in the region and 20th in the country, improves to 4-1-2 overall, while the Judges, ranked 10th in New England, suffer their first loss to drop to 4-1-0.

Babson wasted little time in taking the lead as senior co-captain Jay DeRienzo (Barrington, R.I.) dropped off a ball for sophomore Gregg Robinson (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), who fired a rocket from the top of the box that curled just inside the upper left corner at 1:17. The Beavers would maintain control throughout the rest of the period, taking a 1-0 lead and a 5-1 shot advantage into the break.

Brandeis poured on the offensive pressure in the second half, posting six of the first seven shots in the stanza. However, Babson sophomore goalie Chris Necklas (Guilford, Conn.) proved unbeatable in net, making three of his four saves in the second half to claim his fourth shutout of the season. His biggest save came with just under 12 minutes remaining in regulation, as he pounced Brandeis senior Charles Goodhue’s (Wayland, Mass.) scoring bid from just outside the right post. The Beavers then sealed the victory with an insurance goal in the final minute, as DeRienzo took a breakaway feed from first-year Tim Winn (Sutton, Mass.), made a move to get past charging goalie Pat Makridakis (Mendon, Mass.), and netted his first of the season at 89:23.

Necklas finished with four saves in goal for Babson, while Makridakis turned away three shots in net for the Judges.