The women’s lacrosse team (4-10 overall, 1-6 Patriot League) saw a narrow loss to Colgate University (2-12 overall, 2-5 Patriot League) in Hamilton, New York on Saturday. The team followed up this loss by falling to Bucknell University (5-8 overall, 3-4 Patriot League) in a last-second stunner on Wednesday.
“The team was excited going into the Colgate game,” sophomore defender Jordan Siemonsen said. “We had spent all week preparing and knew it would be a close game.”
The Leopards started slow, with Colgate scoring three unanswered goals in the first quarter. It was only with four minutes remaining in the first period that junior midfielder Sophia Spallone scored the Leopards’ first goal.
With senior midfielder Clare Culligan scoring minutes later, the first quarter ended with a score of 3-2 in favor of the Raiders.
“We didn’t start off as strong as we had hoped, but as the game went on we gained more momentum,” Siemonsen said.
Colgate started the second quarter in a similar fashion, outscoring the Leopards 3-1. Now trailing by a score of 7-4, the Leopards seemed to suddenly be reignited, with Culligan, senior midfielder Abby Romano and sophomore Olivia Kelley each scoring to tie the game.
“We felt strong going into the second half, and definitely knew we could do more,” Siemonsen said.
Despite Lafayette’s incredible comeback, Colgate scored with a second remaining in the quarter.
In the fourth and final quarter, Kelley grabbed her second goal of the game to tie the scoring at eight a piece. With both teams showing tenacious defense, it seemed like the game was going into overtime.
However, with nine seconds remaining, the Raiders broke the Leopards’ defense to claim a 9-8 victory.
“Despite narrowing the gap in Saturday’s game, a third one-goal loss this season is devastating,” senior midfielder Colleen McNamara said.
A bright spot amid a disappointing loss, junior defender Lindsay Geiger reached 100 career draws after claiming three during this game.
According to McNamara, Geiger has an “insane level of competitiveness, every single practice and games, on and off the field. One hundred draw controls as a junior defender is wild, she’s so hard-working.”
Lafayette currently sits ninth out of ten teams in the Patriot League standings. With only three games remaining and the top six teams qualifying for the playoffs, the group’s chances of playing in the postseason tournament seem slim. However, members are still hopeful.
“Only three teams have solidified their position in the Patriot League Tournament, making our goal of postseason still possible,” McNamara said. “We hope to achieve as many wins [as possible] in the next week and a half, and just respecting the Lafayette name is our focus.”
On Wednesday, Lafayette lost another close contest at Bucknell University. The final score was 14-13 after the Bison netted the decisive point with just four seconds remaining.
The Leopards were up by four points in the third quarter, but the home team chipped away at the advantage bringing the sides to even footing heading into the final period. Then, down by two with under six minutes remaining, back to back goals by Spallone tied up the game. Heading into the final second, the Leopards looked to be heading to overtime in Lewisburg; however, a goal slipped by with just four seconds left, ultimately handing the match to Bucknell.
The Maroon and White face Navy (12-3 overall, 6-1 Patriot League) at home tomorrow at 11 a.m. The team’s seniors will be celebrated alongside their families.