The Colorado College Tigers (6-4) were not themselves Wednesday afternoon on Washburn field. They fell short to No. 6 NESCAC Williams College (4-3) with an unfortunate score of 15-6. The East Coast powerhouse outplayed our men’s lacrosse team on both sides of the field, shooting 51 times to the Tigers’ 30, recovering 41 ground balls to the Tigers’ 23, and causing 11 turnovers to the Tigers’ six.
The Tigers’ strongest play came in the first quarter where they managed to find their only lead of the game with a 2-1 advantage over Williams with 12:37 to go. Williams scored first but was quickly followed by goals from senior midfielder Eric Neumeyere and junior midfielder Austin Davie, both assisted by freshman midfielder Tyler Borko. Williams responded with two more goals of their own by attackmen Thomas Fowler and Michael Fahey, ending the first quarter with a score of 3-2.
Sloppy play by the Tigers in the ensuing three quarters allowed Williams to extend their lead beyond the reach of CC. The second quarter began with two goals from Williams, 40 seconds apart. The Tigers fought back with an unassisted goal from freshman midfielder Tom Haller. However, the defense continued to struggle and Williams’ Fowler ended the half with his second goal of the game after a pass from Khary Dennis, extending Williams’ lead to 6-3.
The third quarter started as an intensely competitive contest. After a scoreless two minutes, Borko scored at 13:10, holding Williams to a two-point lead. However, 14 seconds later, the holes in the Tigers’ defense reappeared and Fowler scored yet again to earn his team a 7-4 lead and a hat trick. Davie scored the Tigers’ last goal of the third quarter with an unassisted goal with 10:33 left to play.
Down two goals with a scoreboard reading 7-5, the Tigers’ play on both sides of the field deteriorated. Williams ended the third with five unanswered goals extending their lead to seven. CC’s declining play continued into the fourth quarter where they were out scored 3-1, ending the game 15-6.
The Tiger defense struggled against Williams’ high-power offense. Senior goaltender Chase Murphy made an impressive 16 saves, but the Williams’ Ephs were given too many opportunities with 51 shots on goal.
On the opposite side of the field, CC’s offense could not keep up with the volume their opponents were putting on the scoreboard. The six-point showing was the second lowest number of points scored this season in a game by the Tigers. In all six of CC’s wins this year they have scored more than 10 goals.
CC continues their season at home on Sunday at 12 p.m. in a crucial ‘Pool B’ game against Carthage College.