LEWISTON, Maine - The Williams College men's lacrosse team fell just short of completing its comeback in a battle against #19 Bates College on the road, as the Ephs scored the final three goals of the game but could not find the equalizer.
Three Ephs had hat-tricks in the game, as Will Doran, Jack Sartorius, and Cade Schuckman each scored three goals, with Schuckman also adding a pair of assists. Drew Nicholson scored twice and Ryan Johnson had one goal, and Gavin Timoney and Nick Reich each had two assists. Charlie Medd made 10 saves in goal.
Williams got on the board first, with Schuckman scoring just 31 seconds into the game. Bates got two goals in 44 seconds to gain the lead, but Schuckman scored his second and third on either side of a Bobcats' goal and the teams finished the opening period tied at three.
The teams kept trading the lead back and forth but Doran scored twice in 30 seconds midway through the second quarter, and finished his hat-trick with 31 seconds left in the half to put the Ephs up 7-6 at the break.
The Ephs went up 9-7 early in the third quarter, but Bates then went on a run, scoring the final three goals of the third quarter and first three goals of the fourth quarter to reverse the momentum and take a 13-9 lead with 11:25 left in the game.
Williams started to chip away at the lead, with Sartorius scoring a man-up goal with 9:40 left, and Drew Nicholson scoring with 4:55 remaining. Sartorius brought the game within one goal with 1:56 remaining, and the Ephs had a pair of chances late, but Bates goalie Andrew Toland made a pair of huge saves, including one with five seconds left, to preserve the win for the hosts.
The Ephs will return home for a tough test against top-ranked and undefeated Tufts University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Farley-Lamb Field, and will have next weekend off before hosting another NESCAC midweek game, this time against Hamilton on Wednesday, April 8 at 5 p.m.
