Box Score

HAMILTON – Colgate scored twice in the first 15 minutes of the contest and withheld a late rally to defeat Bryant, 2-1, in collegiate field hockey action Friday at Tyler's Field.

Sophomore Whitney Jones and senior Eliana Brown both struck in the first 14:55 of the contest to give the Raiders the early advantage.

Bryant cut the Colgate advantage in half with a goal during the final five minutes of the contest, but the Raiders kept the Bulldogs from finding the equalizer to secure the one-goal victory.
 
Bottom Line
Colgate 2, Bryant 1

Won-Lost Records

• Colgate opens the season at 1-0.
• Bryant starts its campaign at 0-1.

Turning Point

• Colgate got on the scoreboard early in the contest when sophomore Whitney Jones struck at the 2:43 mark to put the Raiders in front, 1-0.
• Preseason All-Patriot League selection Eliana Brown doubled the Colgate margin to 2-0 in the 15th minute as she converted a rebound opportunity for her first goal of the campaign.
• Colgate maintained its 2-0 edge for nearly 50 minutes before Bryant junior Mikayla Fitzmaurice converted a feed from senior Rosie Bird to make it a 2-1 contest.
• The Bulldogs would draw a penalty corner less than a minute after Fitzmaurice's strike, but Colgate was able to keep Bryant from tallying the equalizer as it held on for the one-goal victory.

 
Inside The Box Score

• Bryant finished the game with a slim 12-11 shot advantage as it posted a 7-4 margin in the second half. Colgate enjoyed a 7-5 edge in shots taken in the first half.
• Bryant registered nine of the 14 penalty corners awarded in the contest, highlighted by a 7-2 advantage in that category in the second half.
• Colgate senior keeper Amanda DiDomizio and Bryant senior goaltender Megan Hancock finished the contest with seven saves apiece.
• Brown, Jones and senior Jade Dennett paced Colgate with three shot attempts each while Bird was credited with a game-high four shot attempts for Bryant.

Series Stuff

• The victory snapped a five-game losing skid for the Raiders against the Bulldogs as Colgate trimmed Bryant's lead in the all-time series to 5-2.
• Friday's contest marked the seventh straight season that the two programs have squared off against each other.

Quotable
Head Coach Cathy Foto (on her team's performance)
"Coach Cacciatore and I are both proud of the way the team played tonight. They showed a lot of heart and mental toughness during a physical game that had us playing a player down for a total of 20 plus minutes. It took a great deal of composure to deal with that much adversity and still come out with the win."
 
Head Coach Cathy Foto (on building an early lead)
"Having a two-goal lead was essential tonight. The second half we stumbled a bit under their pressure, but were able to stay focused on adjustments that needed to be made. The last five minutes of the game was some of the most intense defense I have seen from a Colgate team. They wanted the win and were not going to let up."
 
Up Next
Both teams return to action Sunday as Colgate continues its season-opening homestand in a Noon matchup with Hofstra at Tyler's Field while Bryant travels to Albany for a 1 p.m. contest.