LEWISTON, Maine – The Bates College men's lacrosse team continued its undefeated start to the season with a dominant 16-7 win over Keene State on Tuesday at Garcelon Field. The Bobcats (5-0) used a balanced scoring attack and relentless defense to overpower the Owls (1-4), marking their fifth consecutive victory.
Keene State struck first just 2:36 into the game when Jack Ansart scored an unassisted goal to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. However, Bates responded with authority, rattling off five consecutive goals to close out the first quarter.
Denzel Evans (10:30) got the Bobcats on the board, scoring off an assist from
Riley McClure to tie the game at 1-1. Less than three minutes later,
Jack Goldbach (7:19) put Bates in front for good off a feed from
Gray Doyle. McClure then added a goal of his own at the 6:47 mark, again assisted by Doyle, extending the lead to 3-1.
Connor Hartman (4:03) and
Jake Anastas (2:09) each found the back of the net before the end of the quarter, both assisted by Doyle, giving Bates a commanding 5-1 advantage after one period.
Bates continued its offensive onslaught in the second quarter, with Goldbach scoring his second of the day just 1:24 in, assisted by
Ben Miller. Despite a response from Keene State's Rex Maccarini at the 11:11 mark, the Bobcats answered right back with goals from Miller (8:41), McClure (7:46), and
Rye Kushner (4:51). Goldbach capped off his hat trick at 3:36, assisted by
Colton Curtis, and Hartman struck again at 2:28, courtesy of Doyle, giving Bates a dominant 11-3 halftime lead.
The Bobcats picked up right where they left off in the third quarter. McClure notched his third goal of the game just 4:39 into the period, assisted once again by Doyle, who finished with a career-high seven helpers.
Morgan Ruppenstein then added an unassisted goal at the 8:38 mark, making it 13-3.
Keene State managed a man-up goal from Dylan Seymour (6:21), but Bates continued to dominate possession, with
Liam Rule (5:12) and Hartman (2:46) each adding to the tally.
Johnny Nunez capped Bates' scoring for the day with a goal at 2:30, set up by McClure (3 assists), pushing the Bobcats' lead to 16-5 at the end of three quarters.
Though Keene State added two goals in the final frame, Bates' defense remained stalwart. Winning goalkeeper, Andrew Toland, made five saves in his 41:25 of action, while Drew Nyhus and Luke Heafey closed out the game in net.
The Bobcats dominated the face-off circle, winning 22 of 26 draws, led by Miles Schmidt's outstanding 12-for-15 performance. Bates also outshot Keene State 49-28 and scooped up 48 ground balls to the Owls' 29, showcasing their dominance on both ends of the field.
Bates will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive as they return to conference action this Saturday, hosting #16 Middlebury (1-3, 0-2 NESCAC) at 1:00 p.m.
