NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's lacrosse team went back-and-forth with Bates, but ultimately fell short, falling to the Bobcats 14-9 on Saturday from Cadet Memorial Field.
Bates started quickly, tallying the first two goals of the contest to jump in front five minutes in. Conn answered back at 8:11 as Suzie Smith (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) finished off a pass from Campbell Johnston (Duxbury, Mass.) to make it 2-1.
Sophia Virgilio (Brightwaters, N.Y.) evened the score for the Camels with a woman-up goal at 6:44. However, the Bobcats ended the quarter on a 3-0 run to lead 5-2 after one.
Kate Coughlin (Reading, Mass.) cut the deficit to 5-3, 43 seconds into the second quarter, before Lauren Wong pushed the lead back to three. The Camels did not back down, as Johnston sparked a 3-0 run with a free-position goal at 8:33 to tie the game at six.
Johnston finished off a feed from Elizabeth Gill (Hingham, Mass.) at 5:49, before Victoria Evans (Sudbury, Mass.) knotted the game with a free-position tally. Bates, however, beat the halftime buzzer on a goal from Laci Raveis to lead 7-6 at the break.
The Bobcats struck early in the third quarter to push the lead back to two, but again Conn responded. Johnston scored at 9:41, before Carolin Villarin (Duxbury, Mass.) found Coughlin in front of the cage to make it 8-8. Bates used another 3-0 to jump in front 11-8, before Virgilio notched a free-position goal with 32 seconds left, to make it 11-9 heading to the fourth.
Wong extended the lead back to three at 12:32, before Conn upped their offensive pressure. Unfortunately, the Camels were unable to break through Virginia Avery in the Bobcats net. Bates tallied two more goals in the dying minutes to come away with the 14-9 win.
Bates outshot Conn 30-22, while holding a 20-4 advantage on draw controls.
Ava Virga (Watertown, N.Y.) got the start in the cage, finishing with nine saves. Johnston led the way with four points on three goals and one assist, while both Coughlin and Virgilio added two goals. Evans and Smith each chipped in a tally, with Gill and Villarin adding an assist apiece.
Defensively, Conn scooped up 31 ground balls, led by a game-high seven from Anna Sawyer (Easthampton, Mass.), while Emma McDonnell (Stevenson, Md.) added four. The Camels caused seven turnovers, with Kate Sullivan (Westwood, Mass.) forcing a team-high two.
Avery got the win in goal, notching eight saves. Raveis led Bates with five points, while six other Bobcats tallied at least one point.
Conn (2-9, 0-8 NESCAC) closes out their non-conference schedule on Wednesday afternoon, as the Camels travel to Montclair, N.J. to take on Montclair State at 4:00 p.m.
