LEWISTON, Maine — No. 14 Bates held an early advantage, but top-ranked Tufts surged in the second half to pull away for a 14–10 NESCAC victory Wednesday night at Garcelon Field.
Bates (8-4, 4-4 NESCAC) built a 5–2 lead midway through the second quarter and carried a 5–5 game into halftime, but Tufts (11-0, 7-0 NESCAC) took control after the break, outscoring the Bobcats 9–5 over the final two quarters.
The Bobcats struck first, with
Riley McClure opening the scoring, and goals from
Gray Doyle and
Connor Hartman helped Bates take a 3–2 lead after one. Hartman added his second goal early in the second quarter, and
Charles Lowe finished a feed from
Jack Goldbach to give Bates its largest lead at 5–2 with 12:52 remaining in the half.
Tufts responded with three goals in the final 8:21 of the second quarter to even the score at 5–5 heading into the break.
The Jumbos carried that momentum into the third, scoring twice in the opening seven minutes to take their first multi-goal lead at 7–5. Bates answered with a pair of goals from Goldbach to stay within one, but Tufts closed the quarter on a 2–0 run to take a 9–7 advantage into the fourth.
Tufts created separation early in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in a 31-second span to build an 11–7 advantage. The Jumbos later added three more goals to extend the lead to six before Bates mounted a late push.
The Bobcats continued to battle, getting fourth-quarter goals from
Charlie Hepp,
Xander Frey, and McClure, but could not close the gap down the stretch.
Goldbach led Bates with two goals and two assists, while McClure and Hartman each added two tallies apiece. Frey contributed a goal and a helper.
Tufts was paced by Brooks Hauser's three goals and Chase Beyer's five-point effort (two goals, three assists).
Jack Old recorded 14 saves to earn the complete-game goalkeeping decision for the victors.
Andrew Toland grabbed nine denials of his own in frame for the Bobcats.
Bates remains home for its next action, a 1:00 p.m. NESCAC clash vs. Connecticut College this Saturday. The garnet and white will celebrate Senior Day prior to the opening face-off.
