No. 11 Bates Holds Off No. 19 Men’s Lacrosse, 14-10

BEVERLY, Mass. – Bates College, ranked No. 11 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Coaches Poll, defeated No. 19 Endicott by a 14-10 score on Wednesday night at Hempstead Stadium in the 2016 season opener for both programs.

Trailing 3-0 to start the contest, the Bobcats orchestrated a 10-2 run over the remainder of the first half to claim a 10-5 advantage at the break. Endicott went on to rally late in the second half, down 13-10 with 4:15 left to play, but the five-goal gap created in the first half was too large to overcome  for the Gulls.

Bates' junior attackman Andrew Melvin (Medfield, Mass.) registered a career-high eight points via three goals and five assists. Jack Allard (Ridgewood, N.J.) added a hat-trick and two helpers, while Max Breschi (Carlisle, Pa.) buried three goals and dished out one assist.

Endicott showcased a balanced offense as the Gulls featured seven different student-athletes in the goal scoring column. Mitchell Tapley (Falmouth, Maine), Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.), and Will Jennings (Danvers, Mass.) led the way for the Gulls with two goals apiece, while Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.), Peter Field Jr. (Hampstead, N.H.), Thomas Harvey (Huntington, N.Y.), and Matthew Faucher (Western Springs, Ill.) all chipped in with solo tallies, respectively.

Bobcats' senior goalie Joe Faria (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) stopped 15 shots in the win (1-0). Endicott senior Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) made eight saves in the loss (0-1).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Bates is 2-0 in the all-time series versus Endicott.
• Prior to today's meeting, the Bobcats defeated the Gulls by an identical score in Beverly, Mass. on March 4, 2006.
• Bannon (2g, 2a) and Field Jr. (1g, 3a) tied for the team-lead in points tonight with four.
• Bannon's man-down goal at the 4:19 mark of the second quarter was his second career man down goal in 40 career games played for the Gulls.
• Hughes won a game-high 19 faceoffs. The junior face-off specialist was 19-for-28 (.679) on the night.
• Hughes also compiled a game-high 13 ground balls.
• Both teams transition the ball well as Bates went 19-for-21 (.905) and Endicott posted a 16-for-18 (.889) line in transition.

FOR THE FOES

• Tonight's season-opening victory for Bates was its first since February 29, 2012 against Keene State College (7-6 OT).
• Senior midfielder Matt Proto (Chatham, N.J.) scooped up a team-high six ground balls.
• Faria made 12 saves alone in the second half to thwart Endicott's late rally.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (0-1) hosts Stevens this Sunday in a non-conference matchup at home at 12 p.m. Bates (1-0) travels to Roger Williams on Saturday for a non-conference tilt against the Hawks at 1 p.m. 

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