LEWISTON, Maine -- In a thrilling women's lacrosse NESCAC rivalry game at Russell Street Track & Field, visiting Bowdoin College emerged victorious over Bates, 15-12. 

Bowdoin came out firing, establishing early dominance with a quick 7-0 lead just 9:17 into the first quarter. Lauren Burke set the tone early, scoring the game's first two goals at 14:28 and 12:55, respectively. Molly Reed contributed to the early surge with four first-period tallies (five overall) while Miya Imaeda contributed two of her own to provide the Polar Bears a dominating 8-1 advantage after 15:00 of play.

The second period showcased a resilient Bates squad determined to close the gap. Bowdoin's Grace Harvey scored at 14:12, but the Bobcats began to mount a comeback. Lucy Taylor, Caroline Keating, Grace Cassin (two goals), and Julia Roelofs accounted for the home team's five scores in the second period as Bates narrowed the score to 12-6 by halftime.  

Bates continued to fight back in the second half. Lauren Wong scored twice in the third period, and Laci Raveis added another, keeping the Bobcats' hopes alive. Harvey found the net two more times in the frame, putting Bowdoin ahead 14-9 at the end of the penultimate session.

In the final quarter, Wong scored two times, with Julia Roelofs also contributing one of her own, but Bates' rally would ultimately fall short as Bowdoin (5-5, 1-5 NESCAC) locked down its first conference win of the season.

Goalkeeper Sophie Brett recorded two saves over 30:32 to earn the decision for the visiting Polar Bears. Molly Urbonas, making her first-career start in net for Bates, took the loss. Bowdoin owned a 17-14 advantage at the draw with Reed securing a game-high 14 of those attempts.

The garnet and white 6-5 (2-4 NESCAC) looks to snip its three-game slide Saturday with a noontime Senior Day home contest vs. Connecticut College.