The Colby men’s lacrosse team finished another week with a win and a loss, bringing its record to 5-6 overall and 2-5 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Colby won the midweek game by thrashing the University of Southern Maine (USM). Then, on Saturday, the Mules fell in an overtime thriller in front of a raucous home crowd. With the loss, Colby has only two more chances to improve its record in the NESCAC. As of now, the Mules are tied for sixth with Connecticut College, who they will play next weekend.

Colby opened the home stand against USM on Wednesday evening. The Mules started the game with an 8-0 first quarter run before cruising to a 19-5 victory. Twelve different Mules scored, with John Jennings ’13 leading the way with five goals. Garth Franklin ’13, John LoVerme ’11, Chris Barrand ’12 and Spike Smigelski ’13 each scored their first goals of the season. Greg McKillop ’13 had four assists on the day to lead the team. Tri-Captain Craig Bunker ’11 controlled the middle of the field, winning thirteen of nineteen face-offs and grabbing nine groundballs to add to his team-leading 89.
Saturday’s home game against Amherst was the team’s Code Blue game of the season. “There was obviously a lot of hype and excitement surrounding the game, but I think the team did a great job of controlling [its] emotions and staying within our game plan,” Bunker said.

Amherst came into the game at 5-1 in the NESCAC, good for second place overall. The Lord Jeffs also have a NESCAC-low of 55 goals scored against them this year, so the Mules knew they would have to get creative on offense. Colby clearly was well prepared for Amherst, scoring three goals in the first quarter and taking a 5-3 lead going into halftime.  However, Amherst’s defense proved its worth and shut down Colby’s offense for all but the last thirty seconds of regulation play. Amherst stayed consistent, scoring in every quarter, and tied the game at 5-5 going into the fourth quarter. Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Lord Jeffs took the lead for the first time. The score remained at 6-5 until Ian Deveau ’13 recorded a goal with only 24 seconds left in the game, forcing overtime.

The extra time proved to be a nail biter, and it looked like the overtime period would go scoreless until a Lord Jeff scored with just 1.4 seconds remaining, winning the game for Amherst and sending a lively crowd home disappointed. “The fans were out in full support during the game. We were very thankful that such a large crowd came to support us. The momentum and atmosphere the fans generated was awesome, and we are very appreciative for all the support,” Bunker said after the game.

Statistically, Colby won 14 of 17 face-offs and took more than double the shots that Amherst attempted (54-24). However, Amherst made its shots count, and the Lord Jeff goalie was outstanding, saving 16 of the 22 shots on goal. Bunker knew that the outcome could have been different with slightly better accuracy. “We had a couple of shots that hit the pipe that could have changed the game, but at the end of the day we give them credit for a hard fought game. This was certainly a game we should have won.”

Tri-captain Mark Squicciarino ’11 had a team-high two goals, both coming in the first quarter.  Seniors Alex Boches and John Moriarty continued to be consistent forces for the Mules, each notching a goal. Bunker wanted to make sure the defense and his fellow tri-captain, Chris Healy, got credit for their work during the game. “The defense did a great job, with Chris Healy leading the charge and holding their top scorer to one goal, while taking the ball away from him a few times. Bjorn Knutson ’13 was a ground ball and clearing machine all day,” Bunker stated.

The Mules have a busy week in front of them with an away game Tuesday against Maine Maritime Academy, a home game Thursday against the Eagles of Husson University and a weekend away game against the Camels of Connecticut College.