Bates College Women's lacrosse scores 11-10 comeback victory at Williams

Katie Allard scored three goals, including Bates' final score in an 11-10 win at Williams on March 24, 2018. (File photo by Theophil Syslo/Bates College)

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- The Bates women's lacrosse team scored six straight goals in the second half to erase a 9-5 deficit, and junior goalie Eliza Statile's save with three seconds remaining preserved the Bobcats' 11-10 NESCAC win at Williams on Saturday.

Statile (Ipswich, Mass.) made a career-high 14 saves in the victory, which was Bates' (5-3, 1-3 NESCAC) third in a row over the Ephs (3-4, 1-3 NESCAC) since 2016.

The first half saw the two teams alternate scoring goals with Williams netting the first goal of the game and Bates notching the last goal of the first half to tie the game at 4.

The first portion of the second half belonged to Williams, as the Ephs outscored the Bobcats 5-1 in the first 9:14 with Kara Wollmers netting two goals in that run. A Wollmers goal set up by a feed from Caroline Hogan at 20:46 gave Williams the 9-5 lead.

Bates responded just over three minutes later when first-year Summer Dias (Newton, Mass.) scored on a free position opportunity, which began the run of six straight goals by the Bobcats.

Senior Teal Otley (Cumberland, Maine) scored two in the decisive run, including a free-position shot that gave the Bobcats the lead for good, at 10-9 with 8:20 to go.

Dias controlled the ensuing draw, and 15 seconds after Otley's score, junior Sydney Howard (Ashland, Mass.) fed junior Katie Allard (Ridgewood, N.J.) for the goal that would give prove to be the game-winner with 8:05 left in the game.

Olivia Gomez scored with 3:48 to go for Williams, narrowing the score to 11-10. But Statile stopped Claire Fitzpatrick's shot at the 3:10 mark, then again with seven seconds remaining to preserve Bates' victory.

Statile stopped four Eph free position attempts in the first half and allowed just one Eph free position score, by Emma Tenbarge. Tenbarge was the lone Williams player to score more than one goal in the first half as she tallied two.

Bates senior Allison Dewey (Vergennes, Vt.) scored two goals in the first half, but it was a goal by first-year defender Avery Prince (Chevy Chase, Md.) with her back to the goal with just 33 seconds left in the first half, assisted by senior Camille Belletete (Jaffrey, N.H.), that knotted the score at 4-4.

Dewey and Allard scored three goals apiece and Otley had two for Bates, while senior Annie Duke (Englewood, Colo.) contributed two assists. Senior Camille Belletete (Jaffrey, N.H.) tied Fitzpatrick for the game high in draw controls (4). Senior Allie Solms (Bedford, N.H.) tied Duke for the team lead in caused turnovers (2) and added two ground balls.

Williams' Tenbarge and Wollmers tied for game high in goals with three each.

Eph netminder Kami Cisneros made one save in 54:50 and allowed 11 goals, and Ana Alverenga played the final 5:10 and made one save.

Bates next plays a non-conference game at St. Joseph's College of Maine, Thursday at 6pm.