Hey, Jeter, there’s a new Mr. November

By Marvin, Globe Correspondent

Babson College head men’s soccer coach Jon Anderson calls Jimmy Stento, his sophomore forward from neighboring Needham, “Mr. November’’ - and with good reason.

Stento netted nine of his 10 points in the last three games for the Beavers, which are heading into the NCAA Division 3 tournament. He had a goal and two assists in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference regular-season finale, a 4-2 victory over MIT; a goal and assist in the Beavers’ 2-1 NEWMAC semifinal win against WPI; and, on Sunday, the winner in the 77th minute in the conference final, a 2-1 victory against Wheaton at home in Wellesley.

“After an up-and-down start to his first season at Babson, Jimmy has come on in the last few weeks to not only score big goals, but set up goals down the stretch,’’ said Anderson, whose team was 8-0 in conference play, including the two tournament wins, and 15-5-1 overall going into Saturday’s NCAA regional semifinal against Western New England College, being played at Wesleyan in Connecticut.

“We’re a close group and we didn’t want our season to be over,’’ said Stento, whose father, James T. Stento, was Babson’s leading scorer as a junior and senior, and led the Beavers to back-to-back Division 3 national championships in 1979 and ’80.

“On the winning goal, Dan Fogarty worked the ball down the left side and crossed it to me, and I got the ball toward the center of the goal and hit the right corner of the net. It was definitely the biggest goal I’ve ever scored.’’

Stento was coached by his father - a member of the Babson Athletic Hall of Fame - in Needham’s youth soccer program, with the focus on always hustling and to keep trying. The advice has been heeded this fall.

“Early this season, I was playing behind some older players, then I came down with bronchitis that set me back, and then I got a contusion on my left leg and missed two more games,’’ said Stento. “But I started playing more, I got healthier, and I felt more like my old self just at the right time. Last year, I was recruited to play, but I told Coach I wanted to just focus on school work, and I hope to play four years here eventually.’’

At Needham High, Stento played freshman baseball, then focused on soccer. As a senior, he was a Bay State Conference all-star and an all-state selection who led the Rockets in scoring.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com.