MEDFORD, MA (September 29, 2026) – The defending NCAA champion and #1-ranked Tufts University field hockey team improved to 8-0, its best start to a season since 2018, with a 2-0 victory over #7 Babson College on Tuesday night at Ounjian Field.

Both Jumbo goals were scored in the fourth quarter, by senior Lilly Ragusa and sophomore Eleanor Helm, as Tufts finished strong in an otherwise close game. Babson dropped to 6-3 with the loss.

Tufts also started strong with a 4-1 advantage in shots and 2-0 in corners for the first quarter. However, Babson sophomore goalie Madison Tibbals stopped three of the shots. The only attempt that missed the goal was probably the best scoring chance for Tufts in the opening minutes as a pass across the goalmouth from Helm to a wide-open senior Reagan Malo was deflected just wide.

Babson would take over the momentum starting in the second quarter. Tufts senior goalie Isabel Ginns made two saves in the frame to keep the game scoreless heading into halftime. Shots were an even 3-3 at the break, while Tufts had a slim 2-1 margin in corners.

The visiting Beavers controlled the third quarter with three corners and seven shots, but they could not get one past Ginns. Her best stop came on a blast from up top in the circle during a corner opportunity by junior Lauren Golden in the final minute of the period.

The Jumbos would take the lead on Ragusa's goal early in the fourth. Sophomore Scarlett Carpenter did nice work blocking a Babson clearing attempt deep in the visitor's territory and then chipping the ball to get past a defender and send it to Helm in the circle. Helm centered it and Ragusa popped a shot up in the air and over Tibbals into the goal for her third of the season. The officials reviewed the play and eventually awarded the goal.

Tufts continued its offensive pressure throughout the fourth (shots finished 8-1 Jumbos in the quarter). With less than six minutes remaining, Helm beat a Babson defender on a long ball from senior Eleanor Luft up the left sideline. She sprinted in on goal where she flipped a shot into the cage to give the Jumbos some insurance. The goal was Helm's 10th of the season.

Shots finished at 15-12 for the Jumbos, while Babson earned a 5-4 advantage in corners. The shutout is the fourth of the season for Ginns, who earned it with a season-high six saves. Tibbals recorded nine stops for the Beavers, also a season-best.