STANDISH, Maine – Bates College (1-0) rattled off 17 unanswered goals to defeat Saint Joseph's College (2-1), 24-7, in a non-conference men's lacrosse contest at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The Bobcats raced out to a 5-0 lead in the opening seven minutes of play, but the Monks responded with a 6-1 run to knot the game at 6-6 with 11:28 left in the second quarter. Sophomore Max Lacy (Salisbury, N.H.) scored twice in a matter of 22 seconds to cap the scoring outburst.

Unfortunately for the hosts, the momentum quickly evaporated as Bates netted 17 straight tallies and held a daunting 24-6 cushion with 4:46 remaining. Sophomore Xavier Michaud (Wales, Maine) halted the Bobcat run when he scored off a Lacy feed with 1:11 on the clock.

SJC sophomore goalkeeper Brannon Gilbert (Gray, Maine) was solid in goal with 21 saves and six ground balls over three quarters while junior Michael Janocha (Southampton, Mass.) made three stops in the fourth frame. Bates keepers Spencer Fox and Garrett FitzSimons combined to make seven saves on the afternoon.

Senior Shane Puleo (Nashua, N.H.) led the Monks with two goals and two assists and Lacy potted a pair of tallies with an assist in the loss.

A total of 16 different players hit pay dirt in what was the Bobcats' season opener with Oliver Allen and Will Schinabeck netting four apiece. Bates set a program record with 79 shots in the game, breaking the former mark of 73 set in the 2017 NCAA Tournament against Amherst.

Saint Joseph's will host New England College on Wednesday at 6:00 PM.

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