LEWISTON — Neither Mother Nature nor Colby College were a match for the No. 1-ranked Bates College men’s lacrosse team Wednesday in the Bobcats’ quest for a perfect regular season.
The Bobcats defeated the Mules 24-10 at Garcelon Field to put an exclamation point on what has been a remarkable season to date.
Bates’ 24 goals set a new school record for goals in a game against a NESCAC opponent, bettering a mark the Bobcats set earlier in the season with a 23-17 victory over Amherst College on March 11.
They finished the regular season 13-0 and became the first NESCAC team to finish the regular season undefeated.
“I had done a good job about not thinking about it until today,” Bates coach Peter Lasagna said. “Today, I felt a little stress around it because mostly I wanted it for these guys. This is the best league in the country in any division of men’s lacrosse. To go undefeated in this league is a miracle.”
Freshman attack Matt Chlastawa had a big game, leading Bates in points with five goals and five assists.
The first quarter saw a lot of ball movement from the Bobcats, and six different players scored to help put Colby in a hole. The team’s big guns got Bates out to a 2-0 lead as seniors Kyle Weber and Charlie Fay scored. Andrew Melvin and Chlastawa stretched the lead to 4-0.
Colby (3-11, 2-8 in NESCAC) closed the deficit to 4-2 as Tucker Dietrick and Colton Michel scored nearly two minutes apart.
The lead was back to four for Bates with Melvin and Fay scoring. After CJ Hassan netted his first goal of the game for Colby, Bates ended the quarter with goals from Clarke Jones and Andrew Small.
“That’s when are at our best, when we are sharing the ball,” Lasagna said. “We shared the ball really well today and we shot the ball great.”
Bates outshot Colby 63-47. They also won 23 of 38 faceoffs.
Chlastawa, who also had two assists in the first quarter, had a big second quarter in which he added three more goals. Weber added two more goals while Jake Walsh had one. Colby scored three more as Austin Sayre scored twice and Hassan added another to his total as Bates had the 14-6 lead at half.
Chlastawa’s stick remained hot in the third quarter as he scored 20 seconds in for his fifth of the game.
“I got my fist goal early and that made me feel comfortable out there, which is good,” Chlastawa said. “I had the defense hung up in front of the net, so I had time to feed Fay and Clarke (Jones).”
Jones added his second goal of the game while Dahnique Brown-Jones, Fay, and Weber made it 19-6 Bates midway through the third.
Colby scored its first goal of the second half midway through the third quarter when Sayre found Kevin Seiler.
Fay added two more goals to his total and the Bobcats lead was up to 21-7 after the end of three quarters.
The game also allowed Lasagna to get some younger players who aren’t normally in the rotation into the game. Freshman Brendan Mullally started the scoring in the fourth quarter for Bates to stretch the lead 22-7. Brown-Jones scored his second goal of the game.
Lasagna subbed in junior goalie Jared Baumann, and also freshman keeper Rob Strain, in the second half. Mitchell Drake started the game, allowing the six first half goals. Strain made three saves in the third quarter and allowed just one goal. Baumann made five saves on eight shots in the fourth.
“We have a lot of really good players and they are all great people who work really, really hard every day in practice,” Lasagna said. “To be able to reward them with some game time in a NESCAC game is a special day. Our standards are meant to be the same no matter who’s out there. That’s our expectation.”
Fay continued to rack up the goals in the fourth, scoring his sixth goal of the game — a career high for the Falmouth native.
Seiler scored his second of the game for Colby’s eighth goal. Andrew Ward scored the Mules ninth as Bates held a 24-9 lead. Michel capped off the scoring with second goal of the afternoon.
Colby goalie C.J. Layton made 15 saves on 39 shots.
nfournier@sunjournal.com
Bates College lacrosse coaches Peter Lasagna, left, Tom Fournier and Trevar Haefele celebrate their 13-0 regular season after the Bobcats beat Colby 24-10 on Wednesday.
Falmouth native Charlie Fay scored a career high six goals against Colby on Wednesday.
Members of the Auburn Recreation Lacrosse Program line up to congratulate the Bates Bobcats after Bates beat Colby 24-10 on Wednesday. The Auburn coaches canceled practice Wednesday so that the kids could come watch Bates finish a perfect regular season.
Graham Lian of Colby College gets his cross underneath the chin of Bates College midfielder Charlie Fay during the first quarter in Lewiston on Wednesday. Fay’s helmet came off during the play.
Charlie Fay of Bates College battles for possession with Colby College goalie C.J. Layton and Graham Lian during the first period in Lewiston on Wednesday.
The rain falls on Bates College midfielder Andrew Small before Wednesday’s matchup against Colby College.
Andrew Small of Bates College fires a shot on goal during the first period of Wednesday’s game against Colby College.
Head coach Peter Lasagna and the Bates Bobcats finish the regular season 13-0.
Sam Francis of Bates College cradles the ball between Colby defenders Brad McCarthy (15) and Sean Dougherty during the second period in Lewiston on Wednesday.
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