SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – For the fifth straight year, the battle between Union College and Williams College ended up as a one-goal game. For the second straight season, Union came out on the short end of the ledger.
 
Cory Lund scored three goals, including the eventual game-winner with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter, as the No. 4 Ephs held off the No. 11 Dutchmen in a tense non-conference men's lacrosse matchup on Wednesday evening at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
 
Lund tied for the game-high with five points on three goals and two assists, while John Hincks scored a game-best four goals for Williams (2-0). Junior Kieran McGovern had a big game for Union (2-1) with a team-best five points on two goals and three assists, followed by senior Kerry Lyne with three goals and an assist.
 
In a rivalry that has featured nine one-goal games out of the 12 played since 2009, Wednesday's game was just another back-and-forth chapter. Williams scored the first two goals to take an early lead, but Union responded with four of the next five to take back the lead, with Lyne and junior Keaton McCann scoring twice each during the run, which put the home team up 4-3 with 3:22 left in the second. The Union lead could have been more, however, but Harry Gahagan made five saves in the first quarter to keep the visitors in the game early.
 
Hincks came back with two goals before halftime to put the Ephs back on top, and then the visitors added the first two goals of the third quarter to take a 7-4 lead with 11:42 left. Union had another response, with goals by Lyne, sophomore Peter Burnes and senior Jack Kaufman all coming in a span of 2:18 to knot the score at seven. However, Williams again finished the quarter strong, getting a Matthew Seligson goal with 2:36 left and then a backbreaker from Alex Kitt, who won the faceoff and went right to goal to put the visitors up 9-7 headed to the fourth.
 
McGovern got Union back to even once again with 11:41 left in the final frame, scoring twice in 111 seconds to tie the game at nine, but Union could never get over the hump; Hincks put Williams back up less than a minute later and Lund scored a man-up goal to increase the lead to two (11-9) with 7:14 on the clock. Union wasted several possessions after that before getting within one on a Hayden Frey tally with 1:08 on the clock.
 
The Dutchmen won the subsequent faceoff, but the home team could not get out of their own end before turning the ball over to Williams. With less than a minute to go and possession, Williams played keep-away for the final 46 seconds to escape with the win.
 
Turnovers hurt Union all game long, as 10 of its 17 giveaways came in the second half, while penalties also damaged the team's chances; the Ephs went 2-for-4 on man-up chances, while Union only was awarded one man-up opportunity and did not convert. The Dutchmen also struggled at the X, with Kitt winning 16-of-24 draws to gain valuable possessions for his squad.
 
Gahagan finished the game with 13 saves on 23 shots, while senior Graham Goldheim made 10 saves on 21 attempts for Union.
 
The Dutchmen will look to get back on the winning track Saturday, when the team heads to Springfield for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Pride.