On a cold, snowy April Saturday in Hamilton, N.Y., the women’s lacrosse team (2-11 overall, 1-6 Patriot League) lost in a nail-biter to Colgate (4-11 overall, 3-4 Patriot League) 13-12.
The lead scorers for the Leopards were junior attacker Sarah Bennett and junior midfielder Katie Chiasson, who both carded hat tricks to keep the Leopards in the game.
Colgate began with an early run in the first quarter, racking up three unanswered goals. The Leopards came roaring back to go up by one with Bennett securing their first goal at 8:02. The Leopards climbed within one after a goal from sophomore midfielder Abby Romano, followed by Bennett’s second goal of the day off a free position shot.
Bennett credited the importance of collective play build-up and teamwork to her three goals.
“I think our team has the most success on offense when we’re all working within the system and sticking to the game plan,” Bennett said. “I felt like I was playing with my head up to try and see the opportunities that my teammates were creating, and they clearly were playing with their head up.”
Both Lafayette and Colgate added another goal to tie the game at 4-4 going into the second quarter.
The wintry weather on Saturday was an important factor in the game.
“You go to upstate New York, and it’s raining and snowing. It was freezing cold, so everyone’s sticks were pretty soggy,” Bennett said.
In women’s lacrosse, players are penalized if their pocket gets too deep. Bennett said their head coach, Katie McConnell, encouraged them to substitute out of the game and grab a new stick if they were worried.
While Colgate managed another streak of three unanswered goals in the second quarter, Lafayette was only able to add one goal. This shot came from Bennett to complete her hat trick with just two minutes left in the first half.
Colgate once again took the first three goals to open the third quarter, putting them ahead of Lafayette by five. Freshman attacker Sara Rogers broke this streak with a goal at 10:42. Rogers’ goal was the spark that ignited goals from senior attacker Olivia Cunningham and junior attacker Genevieve Strobel.
The teams continued to trade goals until the third quarter ended at 12-9 in favor of Colgate.
While Colgate scored the first goal of the final quarter, Lafayette came out of a timeout strong with goals from Chiasson and Strobel, making it a two-goal game at 13-11. With five and a half minutes left, the Leopards’ defense managed to keep the Raiders scoreless for the remainder of the game.
“The defense played incredibly better from this game against Colgate compared to our game against Holy Cross,” freshman defender Lindsay Geiger said. “We played as a unit and had each other’s backs through the whole 60 minutes.”
Unfortunately, the Leopards didn’t have the time to overcome a two-goal deficit. Chiasson completed her hat trick at 0:23, but ultimately Lafayette fell by just one.
Lafayette outpaced Colgate in shots (40-38), ground balls (24-21), and clears (24-27 to 23-29). Sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron leveled with Colgate’s keeper as both made 11 saves.
The Raiders controlled shots on goal (24-23), draw controls (17-12), and free position shots (6-5).
“Losing when the game is that close is never a great feeling, but we left that game feeling like we gave it our all which is definitely something to be proud of,” Geiger said.
The team’s first-year class gives Bennett hope going into the rest of the season.
“I think the whole freshman class has stepped up in a really big way. They make up a big part of our starting defense lineup,” Bennett said.
The Leopards face Loyola Maryland at home tomorrow for Senior Day, starting at 11 a.m.
