Men’s lacrosse tops MIT in thriller, 14-13

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Williams College men's lacrosse team used a dominant stretch throughout the third quarter and into the fourth before fighting off a big comeback from the Engineers, winning 14-13 over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Tuesday evening.

The Ephs had seven different scorers, led by

Nick Reich and

Ryan Nagle with three each. The faceoff circle was crucial for Williams, who won 20 of 31 restarts, with

Ian Kim going 11-for-18,

Ethan Filler winning seven of 11, and

Ryan Johnson going 2-for-2.

Charlie Medd made 12 saves to earn the win in goal.

A strong first quarter from the hosts gave MIT an early 4-1 lead, with Nagle scoring halfway through the first, but with the Engineers scoring twice on either side of his goal. The Ephs were able to turn it around in the second quarter, with

Ryan Johnson scoring off an assist from

Jack Sartorius, followed by Reich's first goal of the contest. After MIT scored to go up 5-3, two goals within a minute from

Davis Miller, the second off an assist from

Andrew Johnson, tied the game, and only a late goal from the hosts was the difference at halftime.

The Ephs then took control of the game in the third quarter, emerging from the locker room with goals from

Ryan Johnson and Nagle to take the lead, with

Tucker Graham assisting on Nagle's. After MIT tied it back up at seven, the Ephs scored four straight - two from Doran, the first assisted by

Ralph Vogel, one from

Tony Provenza, and one from Reich - to take an 11-7 lead. A late goal from MIT sent the game into the fourth quarter with the visitors up 11-8.

Williams started the fourth quarter on a similar roll, with

Wyatt Cotton scoring to open the period. After MIT clawed a goal back, the Ephs scored two more - one from Nagle, one from Reich - to go up 14-9. But the hosts then started to battle back, scoring with 7:47, 7:00, and 5:07 left in the game to shrink the lead to 14-12. Another goal with 2:36 left brought the lead down to a single goal, but a big faceoff win from Filler allowed the Ephs to take a minute off the clock without the Engineers in possession. And then after MIT regained control of the ball, stifling defense by the Ephs prevented a tying goal, and Williams earned its victory.

The Ephs now have just two games left in the regular season, first hosting Wesleyan this Saturday at 1pm, and then visiting Middlebury on Wednesday, April 22 at 4:30pm.