AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College men's lacrosse team ended the game on a three-goal run, coming from behind in the final four minutes to defeat Bowdoin, 18-16, in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Mammoths (11-4) advance to the conference semifinals next weekend while the Polar Bears (11-5) will await hope of an NCAA Tournament bid when selections are announced on Sunday, May 7.
Game Highlights
- In a back-and-forth contest throughout, Bowdoin grabbed the early lead, 4-2, thanks to early scores from Patrick Fitzgerald, Avery Kirby, Jason Lach and Oliver Bernstein.
- A 6-1 Amherst run regained the lead for the hosts, who carried a 9-7 lead into the break.
- Bowdoin exploded out of intermission with a 5-1 surge, regaining the lead on a Harp Lane goal and owned a slim 12-11 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
- The teams traded two-goal runs until a Matt Ward score at 4:08 gave Bowdoin a 16-15 edge.
- Amherst quickly replied with a man-up goal by Alex Giacobbe and, after the teams traded possessions, Bob Gross put the Mammoths on top for good at 1:35.
- Bowdoin had a final chance to tie the game, but a midfield turnover led to a game-clinching score for Amherst with just 22 seconds left in the contest.
By The Numbers
- Jason Lach finished with a team-high five goals while Patrick Fitzgerald had three goals and three assists.
- Will Byrne dished out three assists while Aidan Philie had three caused turnovers.
- Ethan Barnard won 21 of 37 faceoffs and paced the team with ten ground balls.
- Robert Hobbs made ten saves in net for the Polar Bears.
- Bowdoin owned a 49-39 edge in shots, but committed 16 turnovers (ten unforced) in the loss.
