Keene State Men’s Lacrosse team fell short with a score of 8-6 in a hard-fought battle against Bates College on Wednesday, March 6.
The whistle blew and the Owls won the first faceoff to give them possession, which was hard to come by for either team this game. Two minutes in, sophomore attackman Jack Ansert scored the first goal of the day to put the Owls up 1-0.
Following five minutes of back-and-forth play, Bates College responded with a goal of their own. They followed up with another goal making the score 2-1 and making senior captain Charlie Giuliotti work hard between the pipes for Keene State. Giuliotti had 16 saves on the day making it tough for Bates’ offensive front. The Bobcats were able to add to their lead once more before the first quarter ended, making it 3-1.
The second quarter began with some missed shots by both teams and eventually a tripping call on Bates College that led to a man-up goal for the Owls by junior attackman Rex Maccarini making it 3-2. The rest of the second remained scoreless due to impressive goaltending and defensive work by both teams. Neither team could gain the upper hand and scoring opportunities did not come easy.
The third quarter began and the score remained stagnant until Bates scored two goals within a minute to expand their lead to 5-2. Keene State was able to respond in the next minute with a goal from junior midfielder Ben Tukey bringing the Owls within two. Keene State kept pressing on as senior midfielder Colby Quiet put up a goal that was quickly answered by Bates College creating a 6-4 ball game.
Within the final 90 seconds of the third, Keene State was able to tie the game with back-to-back goals. One from Maccarini for his second, and the other for sophomore attackman Dylan Seymour.
The score was 6-6 at the start of the fourth and the gritty flow of the game remained the same. Bates’ defense made it tough for Keene State to advance the ball or get many opportunities during the fourth quarter, leading to a scoreless quarter for the Owls. A goal early from Bates gave them a one-goal lead. Some failed clears from the Owls gave Bates College some extended possessions, leading to their last goal bringing the final to 8-6.
Following the highly competitive loss to Bates College, the Keene State men’s lacrosse team will play after the break against Eastern Connecticut on the road, on Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m.
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jenscoe@kscequinox.com
