LEWISTON, ME – Bates College (3-3, 1-2 NESCAC) toppled Saint Joseph's College (3-3, 1-0 GNAC), 21-3, in a non-conference women's lacrosse contest on Monday evening.
A game that was as close as 5-2 after 24 minutes turned into a 21-3 blowout for the Bobcats, a team the Monks had never faced prior to tonight's match-up.
Bates got out to a 5-0 lead with 16:32 remaining in the first half, but the Bobcat attack slowed down temporarily, while the Monks made things interesting with back-to-back goals by leading scorer Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) at the 9:48 and 7:22 marks of the half.
Bates first-year Cameron Griffin (Hamden, Conn.) broke a 12-minute scoring lull for the Bobcats with an unassisted tally with 4:41 to go in the first, beginning a streak of 15 unanswered goals by the Bobcats, a run that extended until 8:12 remained in the second half. Diplock completed her hat trick by closing the gap to 20-3 with 5:48 left to play.
Junior Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) made 10 saves for St. Joe's. Sophomore Kirstin McCombs (Lewiston, Maine) had a game-high six draw controls, and junior Macy Pagurko (Augusta, Maine) assisted on Diplock's first goal.
Bates first-year Kelan McCann (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led a rookie-dominated scoring parade with four goals and three assists. Her seven points in the game were four more than her season's total entering the game.
Fellow rookies Alex Briody (North Kingstown, R.I.; 2 goals, 3 assists, Moriah Greenstein (Glenmont, N.Y.; 3 goals, 1 assist), Emma Noto (Portland, Ore.; 2 goals), Emma Brinkman (Rye, N.Y.; 1 goal, 1 assist), Griffin (1 goal) and Kara Le (Richboro, Pa.; 1 goal) combined for 22 of Bates' total 31 points in the game.
Veteran scorers for Bates were junior Wally Pierce (Weston, Mass.; 2 goals), sophomore Emma Getsinger (Darien, Conn.; 2 goals), sophomore Kathy Yannpoulos (Simsbury, Conn.; 1 goal, 1 assist), junior Bridget Meedzan (Ipswich, Mass.; 1 goal, 1 assist) and junior Blair Shrewsbury (Boxford, Mass.; 1 goal).
Shrewsbury ended first-half scoring with an unassisted goal with 1:09 left in the period, giving Bates a 7-2 lead at the break. When the second half got under way, McCann seemed to be on a mission to reach a 10-goal lead and keep the game clock running: she figured in five straight goals, scoring three and assisting on two, inside the first 3:45 of the second half. After Yannopoulos assisted on McCann's fourth goal, for a 12-2 lead with 26:15 left, Bates won the draw and scored quickly thereafter for the sixth time in a row to start the half, this time with Briody setting up Yannopoulos with 26:00 left for a 13-2 lead.
First-year Hannah Jeffrey (Greenwich, Conn.) started in goal for Bates and made five saves; sophomore Jill Conway (Andover, Mass.) played the final 26 minutes and made two saves — both finishing with .500 save percentages for the game.
Saint Joseph's travels to Mount Ida College on Thursday for a 3:30 PM Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest. Bates returns to NESCAC play this Saturday at 12:00 PM, hosting defending NCAA champion Trinity College.
COURTESY OF BATES COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
