BOX SCORE

BABSON PARK, Mass. – Bates College built a 7-2 lead in the first half and then held off a late Babson College comeback attempt as the Bobcats secured a 12-7 victory over the host Beavers in a non-conference women's lacrosse matchup at MacDowell Field on Tuesday night. It was the first win of the year for Bates (1-3), while Babson slipped below the .500 mark at 3-4.

Junior Joan O'Neill (Westwood, Mass.) paced the Bobcats with three goals and one assist for four points, while sophomore Jenn Brallier (Chambersburg, Pa.) added three goals and three draw controls. Senior Brianna Gross (Andover, Mass.) chipped in with one goal and three assists, junior Jenna Dannis (Milford, N.H.) and senior Emily Howe (Carlisle, Mass.) each recorded two goals and one helper, and junior Caroline Pierce (Weston, Mass.) and sophomore Linnea Fulton (Bristol, R.I.) both finished with a team-high six groundballs. Senior Mara Krueger (St. Louis, Mo.) went the distance in goal for the visitors, finishing with six saves.

Babson received two goals apiece from senior Alyssa Hood (Newport, R.I.) and sophomore Jameson Spang (Kennebunk, Maine), as well as one goal and four assists from junior Trisha Babson (Duxbury, Mass.). Senior Kristy Benoit (Shrewsbury, Conn.) added one goal, three groundballs, and three caused turnovers for the Beavers, and senior goalie Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.) stopped a total of 12 shots in net.

Babson built a 2-1 lead on early goals by Hood and Spang in the first 10:09 of the contest, but Bates took over with six straight goals to close the period. Brallier and Howe each scored twice and Gross dished out three assists during the run, which gave the visitors a 7-2 lead at the break.

The two teams traded goals for the first 15 minutes of the second half, with Brallier firing in her third of the night to give Bates a 10-4 lead with 15:46 remaining. The Beavers then made one last charge by scoring three unanswered goals over the next 10 minutes, as Hood, Babson, and senior Ellen McCurdy (Weston, Mass.) all found the back of the net. However, Dannis converted two free position attempts in the final five minutes of regulation to help the Bobcats hold on for the 12-7 victory.