No. 16 Bates Men’s lacrosse lost to No. 17 Amherst College 8-20 on March 14 at Pratt Field in Amherst, Mass. The Bobcats had not beaten Amherst since 2017. Adding to the drama, Bates Head Coach Dan Annino played for Amherst as part of the class of 2016.
“With him being our Head Coach and giving us a glimpse into his personal life, really motivates us to bring it all for him. He is a guy who wants to win more than a lot of people and he shows it to us,” Eddie Lin ‘28 said.
Dan Annino’s firsthand experience as a NESCAC player contributes to his coaching ability and vision.
“He would say, I would kill to be in your shoes, I would kill to be in that uniform right now but I can’t. I am one of the three people in this field who can’t,” Lin said. Annino reminds his players of the privilege and joy of playing lacrosse to motivate the team.
The Bobcats have felt like the goal is to not just be out on the field, but to actually go out and help the team win.
When the Bobcats were going into the Amherst game they were focused on playing Bates lacrosse. “The first half of the week, we are going to spend on how we can improve personally and then the second half of the week how can we prepare for Amherst,” Lin said ahead of the game.
Riley McClure ‘27 had an outstanding three-goal performance. One goal was pivotal, cutting the deficit in the first quarter to 3-2. But it wasn’t enough to take down the Mammoths, as they scored a record three goals in the span of 31 seconds.
The Mammoths then made the score board 11-2 in the second quarter. Some Bobcats saw some beautiful goals in the half. Senior Captain Connor Hartman ‘26 and Jack Goldbach ‘28 tallied one goal each. A standout moment was Henry McCann’s ‘29 goal with just 24 seconds remaining, making the final score in the second quarter 11-5. Seven seconds later, the Mammoths came back with another goal, ending the second quarter at 12-5.
The Bobcats did not have good luck in the third quarter, with the Mammoths outscoring Bates by 5-0, ending the quarter at 17-5. Finally, McClure came back with two more goals and Gray Doyle ‘27 with one goal in the final moments of the fourth quarter. The Bobcats fought hard in the last quarter and were not willing to give up without a fight. They tried to cut the lead at every chance they got showing a desire to win for not only themselves, but also Coach Annino.
Bates saved 16 goals total whereas Amherst had eight saves. Andrew Toland ‘27 had 14 saves and Drew Nyhus ‘26 had two saves.
Bates won 10 face-offs and Amherst won 21, with an overall face-off count for the game of 31. Individually on the Bates team, Finn Gibbons ‘28 had a 0-3 streak, Ryan Chung ‘29 was 6-17, and Miles Schmidt ‘27 was 2-11.
The Bobcats ended up losing to Amherst 8-20. They went on to be defeated 12-13 by Middlebury College on March 21 in Middlebury, Vt., and then beat Williams College 13-12 at home on March 28.
Catch the Bobcats’ next game versus No. 2 Bowdoin on April 1, at home on Garcelon Field.
