Box Score LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates men's lacrosse threatened a comeback in an overall electric contest, but eventually fell to NESCAC rival, Bowdoin College, by a score of 16-14 under the lights Tuesday night at Garcelon Field.
The 'Cats immediately put Bowdoin on upset alert by scoring a pair of goals early. Javi Werner's goal at the 11:41 mark in the first quarter, followed by Connor Hartman's with 6:56 on the clock, gave Bates the early 2-1 lead.
Goals from Riley McClure, Gray Doyle, and Jake Johnson, along with several acrobatic saves from first-year goalie Andrew Toland kept Bates within range of the Polar Bears in the first half, but four consecutive goals before the break put the score at 9-5 Bowdoin heading into intermission.
The Bobcats (3-7, 0-6), however, would not go away. Doyle and Denzel Evans scored a quick pair of goals in the third quarter with a Jack Daoust tally putting Bates within three (12-9) after three quarters of action.
A pair of goals from Will Masterson and Riley McClure propelled the Bobcats back into comeback territory with a chance at a comeback upset.
Although Hartman and Masterson matched a pair of Bowdoin goals to keep the 'Cats within one at 14-13, Bowdoin was able to go up by three with back-to-back goals at 6:29 and 5:28, respectively.
The 'Cats had 41 shots to Bowdoin's 66, while finishing with 26 shots-on-goal compared to 35 for the Polar Bears (7-2, 5-0 NESCAC).
McClure and Doyle recorded hat tricks, while Hartman and Masterson finished the game with two goals each.
Bates finished the night with five caused turnovers and 37 ground balls, while securing 21-of-27 clear attempts. Benjamin Kondner led the Bobcats with three caused turnovers. Jacob Kodjababian and Will Masterson both contributed four ground balls apiece.
The Bobcats return to action on April 6th at 1 PM to celebrate Senior Day prior to their home game vs. Connecticut College.
