Men’s lacrosse (1-0, 0-0 NESCAC) kicked off its 2025 season with a hard-fought 9-7 victory over the No. 17 Babson College Beavers (2-1) on Saturday. The Ephs entered the game with good energy, ready to take the field against a nationally ranked opponent.
It was a back-and-forth battle from the first whistle, with the two teams trading goals throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, however, the Ephs managed to pull ahead and emerge victorious.
“Securing the win forced the team to confront its biggest weaknesses from last season: The ground ball and faceoff battles — two areas where we struggled in the NESCAC tournament last year,” said midfielder Gavin Timoney ’27.
The team showed significant improvement in these areas, with Ian Kim ’26 delivering a stellar faceoff performance, winning 65 percent of his draws.
The Ephs’ defense, facing one of the most formidable offensive teams in Div. III, played a critical role in achieving victory. “Our defense really stepped up,” Timoney said. “Babson has an elite offense, and holding them to just seven goals was a huge accomplishment.”
A crucial part of this defense was the goalkeeping, according to Timoney. Goalkeeper Matt Wetmore ’25 was a standout, making 12 key saves to keep the Ephs in the game.
The offense also had its share of highlights, especially from Ryan Nagle ’27, who stepped up after Will Doran ’26, a starting attacker, went down with an injury. After coming off of the bench, Nagle netted three goals, providing the Ephs a considerable boost on offense.
As the game drew to a close, the Ephs clung to a one-goal lead, but the Beavers’ strong offense threatened to tie the game. With two minutes left, Tucker Graham ’28 led the Ephs in a crucial defensive stop, holding off the Beavers’ push. Shortly after, Matt Johnson ’25 put Williams up by two to seal the win.
Ahead of their victory against Babson, the Ephs had prepared throughout the offseason, balancing structured training with a focus on maintaining peak health. The team logged ten practices with coaches throughout the fall while the captains took the lead in managing workouts and building team dynamics.
“Our approach was about steady improvement without overloading ourselves,” Timoney explained. “We wanted to come into the season healthy, focused, and ready to take it one game at a time.”
After the departure of several seniors from last year’s team, the Ephs are trying to quickly build team chemistry. Though they struggled with offense in the first half, they found their rhythm in the second — a promising sign for the rest of the season.
The Ephs will now shift their focus to their next challenge — an away matchup against Union College (0-2) in Schenectady, N.Y., today. While the team is excited about its season-opening win, it remains focused on the bigger picture. “Whenever we win, we celebrate a little,” Timoney said. “But we know we can’t go into the next game too cocky.”
Last year, Ephs men’s lacrosse clinched the Thompson Trophy, but this year, according to Timoney, the Ephs want to push hard and test themselves in pursuit of all four major titles: The Little Three Championship, the Thompson Trophy, the NESCAC Championship, and ultimately, the Div. III National Championship.
“The win over Babson was the culmination of all the hard work throughout the offseason,” Nagle said. “The win really sparked a lot of excitement for this team’s potential and how far we can go during this season.”
