WELLESLEY, Mass. (3/4/2025) – In game number two of a long-standing road series, the Nichols College men's lacrosse program couldn't overcome a third-quarter scoring frenzy by the host No. 20 Babson College Beavers, resulting in an 18-8 loss at MacDowell Field.  

Nichols moves to 0-4 on the season, while Babson improves to 3-1 overall.

Dylan DeRubeis notched his fifth career hat trick, and second of the season, scoring three goals alongside a pair of assists, and three ground balls. Jonah Libby contributed his own multi-goal performance, scoring two goals with an assist, while Conor Doherty chipped in a goal and two assists. Jared Van Cor scooped a team-high four ground balls, and Travis Arnold finished 10-of-29 from the faceoff.

Brady Morgan (0-4) made 15 saves as Babson edged Nichols in total shots, 51-29. Carter Renaud also saw time in net, stopping both shots faced.

Nichols was first on the board when DeRubeis opened the scoring 1:17 into the game, his seventh of the season from Doherty. Babson retaliated with two goals to jump in front, before Libby tied the game at 2-2 at 7:27 of the period. The Beavers were once again quick with their response, pushing the lead out to two goals, but the Bison remained in the hunt thanks to Doherty's lone strike in the late stages of the first.  

The second quarter went scoreless for the first six-plus minutes, before DeRubeis fired home his second of the contest to tie the score at 4-4 with 8:16 remaining. Babson then scored the next two, both landed less than a minute apart, only for John Caserta to add a final man-up goal with 2:50 remaining off a setup from Libby, limiting Babson's lead to 6-5 at halftime.

Out of the break, the Beavers rolled off all eight goals of the third period to take a massive 14-5 lead over the Bison. However, the Bison eventually halted the home streak in the fourth quarter, with Libby finding the back of the net 45-seconds in, unassisted. The Beavers soon returned to their scoring ways, adding four more goals to their lead to make it 18-6 with 7:50 left. Nichols would strike twice more before game's end, including DeRubeis' third and a man-up strike from Kane Williams, rounding out the 18-8 final score.  

The Bison will embark on their 2025 spring break trip next week, with a pair of contests on the docket. First, Nichols will travel to Gwynedd Mercy University (1-4) for a 3:00 PM face off at the GMU Athletic Complex.