Bates Spoils Season Opener for Blue Lacrosse, 11-3

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Senior Moriah Greenstein (Glenmont, N.Y.) scored four goals and sophomore classmates Allison Dewey (Vergennes, Vt.) and Camille Belletete (Jaffrey, N.H.) each recorded hat tricks to lead visiting Bates College to an 11-3 non-conference win over Wellesley College lacrosse on Wednesday afternoon at Wellesley's Turf Field.

The Bobcats move to 2-0 early in the 2016 season, while Wellesley drops their season opener to start the year at 0-1.

The Blue got goals from first year Dacia Persky (Las Vegas, Nev.) and juniors Nikki Sharkin (Summit, N.J.) and Courtney Peterson (Glastonbury, Conn.) but could do little to solve Bates senior goalkeeper Hannah Jeffrey (Greenwich, Conn.). Jeffrey, the 2015 IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year, made 13 saves on 16 Wellesley shots to improve to 2-0 on the season. In the Blue goal, junior Wendy Nettleton (La Jolla, Calif.) turned back seven Bates shots.

Belletete spotted the Bobcats a 2-0 lead to open the contest, scoring the game's first two goals on unassisted markers at 28:31 and 26:13. Bates held the 2-0 lead until late in the first, when Greenstein and Dewey each added their first goals of the game to make the score 4-0 in favor of the visitors.

A pair of Wellesley first years combined to tally the first Wellesley goal of the season to make the score 4-1 at 6:56 of the first. Persky scored her first collegiate goal thanks to the first collegiate assist from classmate Lena Engbretson (Beaverton, Ore.). 

Bates responded with three-straight goals to close out the first half with a 7-1 lead, as Dewey and Belletete each scored free position markers on either side of Greenstein's second of the game.

Wellesley scored the first and last goals of the second half. Sharkin opened the half with a free position goal, while Peterson scored an unassisted tally for her first of the season at 3:53. Wellesley's leading scorer in 2015 with 41 goals, Sharkin tallied her first of 2015 at 24:58 of the second.

The Bobcats added four more second half goals to take the 11-3 final. Senior Emma Brinkman (Rye, N.Y.) tallied her third of the season on a broken play in front, scooping the ball into the Wellesley net. Greenstein then scored her third at 16:37, before assisting on Dewey's third to make the score 10-3 just thirty seconds later.

Greenstein would add her fourth when Dewey returned the favor at 9:34, netting the final Bates goal of the game despite the Bobcats being down a player following a yellow card.

Wellesley will be back on the turf on Saturday at 1:00 PM, when the Blue host the University of New England. Bates returns home on Saturday to host Wesleyan (Conn.) at noon.