HARTFORD, Conn. — The Bates College women's lacrosse team fell to No. 21 Trinity College, 9–5, Saturday afternoon in NESCAC action at Robin L. Sheppard Field.
The Bantams scored three times in the opening quarter and held Bates scoreless through the first 15 minutes before the Bobcats began to chip away. Trinity built a 4–1 lead by halftime and added five fourth-quarter tallies to secure the conference victory.
Trinity struck first when Kaeley Zito (Sr.-Charlestown, R.I.) finished a feed from Sarah Marvin (Jr.-Ambler, Pa.) at the 14:17 mark of the opening quarter. Kelsey Restivo (Jr.-Sayville, N.Y.) followed with back-to-back goals to give the Bantams an early 3–0 advantage.
Bates got on the board midway through the second quarter when
Laci Raveis converted a free-position opportunity with 6:20 remaining before the break. Trinity answered late in the frame with a free-position score from Grace Denious (Sr.-Darien, Conn.) to carry a 4–1 lead into halftime.
The Bobcats trimmed the deficit in the third quarter as
Lauren Wong finished a pass from
Caroline Keating at the 11:42 mark, cutting the margin to 4–2 heading into the final quarter.
Trinity (3-0, 2-0 NESCAC) opened the fourth period with a man-up tally from Zito, but Bates responded quickly when Keating scored just 40 seconds later to make it 5–3.
Emma Lavallee later added a free-position strike with 9:41 remaining, bringing the Bobcats within two at 6–4.
The Bantams answered with a two-goal surge, with a man-up tally from Alex Lesko (Sr.-Villanova, Pa.) and a third from Zito, to stretch the lead to 8–4.
Grace Yonchak scored unassisted with 2:54 remaining to keep Bates within striking distance, but Trinity sealed the contest with a man-up goal from Caroline Lally (Sr.-Norwell, Mass.) in the final minute.
Virginia Avery made six saves in goal for the Bobcats in the complete-game effort. Alison MacDougall (Sr.-Southbury, Conn.), with five saves on the afternoon, earned the win for the Bantams.
Bates (2–3, 0–2 NESCAC) returns to action next Saturday, March 14, when the Bobcats host No. 13 Amherst at Garcelon Field. Opening draw is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
