With spring sports starting, there are high expectations for both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The women’s team looks to bounce back from a disappointing 7-8 season last year, with a 2-8 record in the NESCAC. Meanwhile, the men’s team hopes to attain even more than their success from last year, when they went 16-2 and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals.

So far, the women’s team has started out 2-1. They notched wins against Colorado College and Wellesley before dropping a game in their first NESCAC action against Middlebury.

In the Middlebury game, the Bobcats were outscored 12-5. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 nationally, so this was a tough matchup to start conference play with. In the game, the Bobcats were outscored 7-1 in the first half and 5-4 in the second half. After getting down by such a deficit, the second half showed their ability to battle back and play a closer game, but, unfortunately, they could not come all the way back. There were some impressive performances despite the loss. Summer Dias ’21 scored three goals for Bates, already her second hat trick in the three games so far this season. The women’s team will take on Babson next, at home on Wednesday, March 7 at 5:00 p.m.

For the men, the season has not gotten off to a great start. They are 1-2, with losses to nationally ranked No. 4 Rochester Institute of Technology and Middlebury. Their one win so far came in a game against Babson at home. In the most recent game against Middlebury, Bates fought a close battle but ended up a goal short, losing 11-10.

Captain Burke Smith ’18 says of the level of competition in the NESCAC, “We try to be focused for every game, because we have a lot of respect for every team on our schedule. It is honestly more fun to play in a competitive conference –most games are a battle. Playing in a lot of lopsided games isn’t very fun.” Unfortunately, this means that every game is tight, and some end the wrong way. This was the case of the Middlebury game. Matt Chlastawa ’20 led the team in both goals (four) and assists (three), while senior captain Clarke Jones ’18 scored three goals. Another bright spot was Eli Cooper ’19, who won 14-24 face-offs throughout the game. The game fit the description of NESCAC lacrosse, as it was evenly matched throughout.

Jones said of the season, “This year’s team can definitely have the same success we had last year.”

Smith adds, “This year we aren’t as much concerned with last year, but are excited to go out and earn our success.” He also states “The goal is to win every game we play, which would ideally result in a championship.” Although there have been a few setbacks thus far, this team knows how to win and is likely to put it all together and create a lot of success this season. The men’s team plays next on Saturday, March 10 at Wesleyan, another NESCAC matchup.