Box Score LEWISTON, ME – Quite simply it was too little, too late for the Williams College women's lacrosse team as their late game charge came up one goal short in an 11-10 loss at Bates College.
Williams (6-2/2-2 NESCAC) entered the game having won four straight games on their spring break trip in Florida, while Bates (4-5/2-4 NESCAC) entered the game having dropped their last two games in conference play to Trinity and Bowdoin.
A Rebecca McGovern score off a free position shot with 17:07 remaining in the first half gave the Ephs' their last lead, 3-2.
Bates' Wally Pierce scored the second of her four goals on the day at 13:37 on an unassisted effort to tie the game at three. Just 28 seconds later the Bobcats' Kelan McCann converted a free position opportunity and Bates took the lead for good with 13:15 remaining in the half.
The McCann goal was the second of five goals in a row by the Bobcats. Bates' string of goals was finally stopped at 4:51 when Eph senior Sam Weinstein scored off a setup by Bridget Malicki (4:51).
Malicki then assisted on the final goal of the half when she hit a cutting Nancy Palmer who netted her shot at 2:48.
Bates led at the break 7-5.
With 7:05 remaining in the contest Bates built their lead to 11-6 when Moriah Greenstein tallied an unassisted goal.
Over the final 4:15 the Ephs generated four goals to cut the Bates' lead to one, 11-10, but the final Eph score came with only 13 seconds left and Bates was able to hold off the Ephs. Sam Weinstein and McGovern each scored a goal and Hilary Cook added two in the final minutes, but it was not enough.
"Our huge storming of the goal in the final minutes just ran out of time," said Eph head coach Chris Mason. "Bates started to slow the game down offensively with about 14 minutes to play. That forced us to come out after them. We were able to create some turnovers and get some good offensive possessions, we just couldn't get enough."
"I thought we put ourselves in this position because of our shot selection in the first half, where we were getting shots, but they were drifting or fading shots," said Mason. "Most of them were long shots too, not good hard shots on goal. We just weren't as determined to score in the first half as we were at the end of the game."
The Bobcats were led in scoring by Wally Pierce (4 goals & 1 assist) and Emma Goetsinger who scored three goals and assisted on another. Hilary Cook, Palmer, Weinstein and McGovern all scored two goals for Williams.
Eph goalie Ali Piltch stopped 14 of 25 Bates' shots on goal, while Hannah Jeffrey denied the Ephs on 14 of their 24 shots.
Turnovers were even at 12 in the contest, but Bates collected 13 draw controls to the Ephs' 9.
The Ephs collected 12 ground balls and Bates gathered in 8. Each team netted two free position goals with the Ephs 2-7 and Bates 2-5.
Next up for the Ephs is another NESCAC contest tomorrow in Brunswick, Maine versus Bowdoin College at 12:00 PM.
