EUGENE, Ore. (3/15/07) – Nine members of the Colgate women’s lacrosse team found the back of the net as the Raiders rolled to their first win of the season, 18-10, against Vermont on Thursday, Mar. 15, at the University of Oregon. It was the first Raider win for first-year head coach Heather Bliss. Colgate enters the final game of its West Coast trip with a 1-6 record, while Vermont falls to 0-5 on the year.

The Raiders were in a New York state of mind as all of their multiple-goal scorers hail from the Empire State, as does Bliss. Junior Lindsay Pittard (Skaneateles, N.Y.) led the Raiders with five points on three goals and two assists, while sophomore Ashley Didio (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored a game-high four goals. Junior Jessica Van der Meulen (Liverpool, N.Y.) chipped in three goals, while senior Tara Casey (Syracuse, N.Y.) and sophomore Molly Ortolano (East Nassau, N.Y.) each had two scores. Vermont was led by Tori Wasson, Kristen Millar, and Kaitlyn Fuller, who each had two goals.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the game, the Raiders quickly rattled off four straight goals within a span of less than three minutes. Millar broke the run to make it 4-3 in Colgate’s favor, but the Raiders netted five of the next six goals to go up 9-4 with 6:28 to play in the first half. However, the Catamounts scored two of the last three goals of the period to send the teams to the sidelines with Colgate up by four, 10-6.

Just over three minutes into the second half, the Raiders went on another tear, scoring four goals within 2:06. Fuller snuck in a goal for Vermont, but Colgate again scored four straight to take a commanding 18-7 lead. Neither team scored for seven minutes, before the Catamounts tallied the last three goals of the game within the final six minutes.

Colgate sophomore Sara Drexler (Pottstown, Pa.) earned her first collegiate win in net after making 11 saves. UVM’s Meaghan Hanley took the loss in spite of making 14 saves. The Raiders outshot the Catamounts, 35-26, including 23-10 in the first half. Colgate converted six of its eight free-position shots, and each team controlled half the draws.

The Raiders conclude their West Coast swing on Saturday when they square off against Oregon at 1:00 p.m., local time. Colgate returns to Tyler’s Field to host Marist on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.