MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Bates College men's lacrosse pulled within 6-4 in the third quarter but ultimately fell to No. 9 Wesleyan University, 10-6, on Saturday afternoon at Wesleyan's new turf field.
The Bobcats (0-2, 0-2 NESCAC) saw their three-game winning streak against the Cardinals (3-0, 2-0 NESCAC) broken as the hosts jumped out to a 6-1 lead en route to the victory.
Senior Aidan Daniel (Rye, N.H.) led all players with three goals while sophomore Lyle Mitchell (Weston, Conn.) and senior Ian Vazquez (Ridgefield, Conn.) each netted two goals. Junior Quentin DellaFera (Locust Valley, N.Y.) recorded three points on a goal and two assists, and senior Graham Macnab (Winter Park, Fla.) and junior Matt Prezioso (Southington, Conn.) each scored once.
For Bates, sophomore Jack Allard (Ridgewood, N.J.) posted two goals and an assist. Senior Paul Donovan (Norwell, Mass.) added two goals, and junior Jack Strain (Montclair, N.J.) and sophomore Charlie Hildebrand (Berwyn, Pa.) chipped in a goal apiece.
The Cardinals scored the game's first three goals just over five minutes into the contest with Daniell finding the back of the net twice. Neither team scored for the rest of the opening quarter.
Donovan opened the second quarter with a tally 25 seconds into the period, but Wesleyan responded with a 3-0 spurt to capture a 6-1 lead with 9:17 left in the half. Bates cut into its deficit in the final six minutes of the period as Allard scored a man-up goal and an even-strength tally to trim the hosts' margin to 6-3 at halftime.
Bates moved closer at the start of the second half as Hildebrand sent one home at the 10:34 mark of the third quarter. Wesleyan deposited the game's next two goals before Donovan scored just before the end of the period to pull Bates within 8-5 entering the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals pushed their lead to 9-5 with 11:34 to play, and the teams traded goals inside of the last three minutes for the final.
Wesleyan senior goalie Mark Simmons (East Hampton, N.Y.) made 14 saves on 20 shots on goal in the win while Bates senior Charlie Kazarian (Providence, R.I.) stopped 12 shots in defeat.
Next, Bates plays Skidmore on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a neutral-site game at Brown University in Providence, while Wesleyan plays at Union on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
