WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team dropped a 12-8 decision to Williams College on Saturday afternoon in a NESCAC clash at Farley-Lamb Field.
The Ephs outscored the Camels 9-2 in the second half to take control of the game. Ryan Johnson and Ryan Nagle each recorded hat tricks for Williams (4-3 overall, 2-2 NESCAC) en route to the victory.
Andrew Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) provided much of Conn's offensive firepower on the day, finishing with a career-high five goals to lead all scorers.
Graydon Diamond (New Canaan, Conn.),
Matthew Sofarelli (Jupiter, Fla.) and
Liam Horkan (Malden, Mass.) also added tallies for the Camels. All four also notched assists in the contest.
Rainville supplied a pair of goals in the opening quarter to get the Camels off to a strong start. His first tied the game at 1-1 after Horkan found him on the doorstep for an easy finish. Less than 40 seconds later, Williams stymied a Conn clear attempt and tried to start one of its own. However, the defender's long pass behind the cage was intercepted by Rainville, who quickly turned the corner and put away another easy marker to make it 2-1.
Williams tied the score by the end of the first, but Diamond struck for the first goal of the second period as the Camels regained control. Rainville notched his hat trick at the 11:08 mark, dodging his defender to the side of the cage and squeezing off a shot into the twine.
With five minutes remaining in the half, Diamond beat his man down the left side and drew back-up help from a defender. The switch left Sofarelli wide open in front of the cage, and Diamond delivered a perfect pass to set up the goal. One minute later, Rainville fed Horkan for a rip into the top-right corner to give the Camels a 6-3 lead at the break.
The Ephs flipped the script in the second half, outscoring the Camels 5-0 in the third period to nab an 8-6 lead. Despite two more goals from Rainville in the fourth—including a one-handed flick in the final moments—Conn couldn't make up any ground before the final buzzer.
Patrick Hogan (Wyckoff, N.J.) faced 49 shots in the contest and recorded 14 saves.
Henry Dumler (Mercer Island, Wash.) paced the defense with three ground balls and forced a pair of turnovers.
Conn (4-3 overall, 0-3 NESCAC) will next host Colby College on Saturday, March 28 at noon.
