NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team overcame wet and windy conditions to post an 11-9 victory over Williams College on Saturday afternoon at Silfen Field.

The win was the first for the Camels in NESCAC play this season, as well as the first against the Ephs since 2013. Aidan McAvoy (Charlotte, N.C.) led Conn with a game-high five goals while Jared Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) added two scores and a pair of assists. Will Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) made 14 saves in the cage—including five in the fourth quarter—to seal the victory.

Conn's scoring came in bunches in the first half. The Camels got out to a 3-0 lead behind goals by Rainville, JJ Ford (Clinton, Conn.) and McAvoy in the opening 5:09 of the contest, and the hosts played from in front the rest of the way. 

After Williams pulled within a goal at 3-2, Conn ripped off four straight scores to build its largest lead of the game. Gus Mazzocca (West Hartford, Conn.) started the stretch with an unassisted tally, and Bobby Chang (South Salem, N.Y.) later fed McAvoy for the final goal of the period. In the second quarter, Liam Horkan (Malden, Mass.) scooped up a rebound in front of the crease and buried a spectacular behind-the-back shot, and Rainville followed with his second of the game for the 7-2 edge.

Williams cut into the deficit with another pair of goals, but Conn snuck in the final score of the half when Patrick Atkins (Topsfield, Mass.) connected with Horkan with 10 seconds remaining. The Camels led 8-4 at the break despite being outshot 25-20.

The Ephs outscored the Camels 4-1 in the third quarter, making up ground as the weather conditions worsened. Calvin Caputo (Pennington, N.J.) scored twice in the period, with his second tally trimming Conn's lead to 9-8 with 1:32 left in the stanza.

The Camels nursed the one-goal lead for the next 13 minutes before finally adding some breathing room late in the fourth. McAvoy netted a pair of goals—the first off an assist by Chang, and the second by Ford—to stake Conn to an 11-8 advantage with 1:38 left in the game. 

Caputo completed his hat trick with 18 seconds remaining, but the Ephs ultimately ran out of time. Goalie Matthew Freitas (Weymouth, Mass.) finished with 15 stops for Williams. 

Conn College (2-3 overall, 1-2 NESCAC) will next play at Western Connecticut State University on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.

Game Note:

During a special halftime ceremony, the Camels welcomed back members of the 1993 squad that put together the best season in the 15-year-old varsity men's lacrosse program. Among the team's accomplishments: 

-    earned a program-best 10 wins, including six in NESCAC  
-    earned the program's first national ranking, ending up #15 in the final USILA Coaches Poll
-    ranked #1 in New England for part of the season
-    earned the #2 seed in the ECAC New England Division III Championship
-    head coach Fran Shields was named the USILA national Division III Coach of the Year