Bates College

Junior defender Stefano Stadlinger stepped into the starting lineup for the first time in his career, helping the Bates men's lacrosse team to a pair of historical wins over two top ten ranked teams.

Stadlinger (Summitt, N.J.) had an amazing assist in Tuesday night’s 12-8 upset over No. 1 ranked Tufts University, tossing a 50 yard pass from the defensive third of the field to Jack Allard, who made the catch and scored the goal. Stadlinger led a Bobcat defense that held the defending national champions to only eight goals, well below their season average of 16.58 per game. 

In his second career start on Saturday against Middlebury, the junior had the task of shutting down first-year attacker Henry Riehl and did exactly that, limiting Riehl to just two shots on the day. Stadlinger also forced two turnovers as the Bobcats defeated No. 6 Middlebury 14-9, their first ever win over the Panthers in 28 meetings.

The Bobcats are now tied for No. 14 with Nazareth College in the latest USILA Division III poll.