WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College men's lacrosse team lost 10-9 in a home heartbreaker on Tuesday afternoon to the Hamilton Continentals. The Ephs' five-goal advantage came undone in the second half as the Continentals came out with an intense comeback victory.
With the loss, Williams falls to 5-6 on the season and 2-5 in the NESCAC, while Hamilton moves to 7-5 and 4-4 in the NESCAC with the win.
The Ephs got off to an impressive start. After nearly eight scoreless minutes, Ryan Johnson opened the scoring on a driving finish to make the score 1-0. One minute later, Jack Sartorius deposited a goal after picking up a rebound to give the Ephs a 2-0 advantage. And after Williams again won the ensuing face off, Joe Ladocsi found Andrew Johnson for a goal at the 5:29 mark, making it 3-0.
Williams held Hamilton scoreless for the rest of the period, as goalie Charlie Medd made six saves.Â
In the second, the Ephs maintained their lead. After two Hamilton goals to open the period, Will Doran responded with his first to re-up the lead to 4-2. Three minutes later, he scored again, this time assisted by Ryan Johnson. The Ephs held the Continentals without a goal for the final ten-plus minutes of the half and entered halftime ahead 5-2.
Williams added to its advantage in the third period. After Hamilton scored first out of halftime, goals by Ryan Nagle and Gavin Timoney put the Ephs ahead 7-3. Then, Ryan Johnson fired a screamer home off a pass from Doran to make the score 8-3 with under four minutes to go in the period. The Ephs would take an 8-4 lead into the fourth period.
In the fourth, Ryan Johnson continued his momentum with a strong driving goal, marking a hat trick for the senior and making the score 9-4 with 13:11 remaining. Â
From there on out, however, Hamilton clawed back. Every two minutes or so, a different Continental would score a goal to continue to cut into the deficit. While the Ephs had some good looks to add to their lead, none would fall. With just over three minutes to go, Hamilton's Thomas Healy tied the game at 9-9.
After a frantic back-and-forth, the Continentals regained possession and called timeout with just over a minute remaining. They then bled the clock below half a minute before Carson Kraus finished inside with the decisive goal, completing the comeback.
Williams will look to bounce back on Saturday on the road at Amherst. The rivalry match starts off at noon.
