Colgate University Athletics

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Balanced scoring and a whole-field defensive effort lifted Colgate to an impressive 9-5 win at No. 14 Bryant here Saturday afternoon.
 
It was Colgate's first road win over a ranked opponent since the 2012 Raiders toppled No. 1 Massachusetts in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
 
The Raiders bolted from a 2-2 halftime deadlock by scoring three times in the third quarter and four in the fourth. Jack Stebbins and Peter Donato scored twice and five other Raiders found the netting as Colgate toppled Bryant for the fourth straight year in a season-opener.
 
Bryant entered the game as the nation's No. 14 team according to the lacrosse media, and No. 19 by USILA. Colgate was a No. 25 preseason selection by Inside Lacossse Magazine.
 
The Raiders won by limited the Bulldogs to just eight clears in 14 attempts, and forcing 21 turnovers. Colgate held a 33-27 shot advantage.
 
Colgate is back in action next Saturday at Vermont in a 1 p.m. start.
 

Bottom Line
• Colgate 9, Bryant 5
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate wins its season opener for a 1-0 start.
• Bryant is 0-1.
 
Facts & Figures
• The Raiders never trailed in this one, but it was tight throughout.
• The game was tied 2-2 at intermission, and Colgate led just 5-4 going to the fourth quarter.
• That's when the Raiders exploded for four consecutive goals to put the contest away.
• Jack Stebbins scored his second of the game with 9:29 left, and then Chase Wittich tallied in a man-up opportunity to make it 7-4 with 5:24 remaining.
• Anthony Abbadessa and Peter Donato tacked on insurance tallies before Bryant added a last-minute goal.
 
Day of Firsts
• Sophomore Donato scored the first two goals of his collegiate career, and Stebbins had his first two-goal game.
• First-year Raiders Wittich and Abbadessa also scored their first career goals.
• Donato (midfield) and Abbadessa (attack) drew the first starting assignments of their Colgate careers, with Abbadessa obviously making the start in his collegiate debut.
• Other first-years seeing playing time Saturday were Matt Heldberg, Nicco DeLorenzo and Collin Orr.
• Saturday's win was the first by the Colgate program on the road against a ranked opponent since the Raiders upset No. 1 Massachusetts in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA tournament.
 

More Key Info
• Colgate's defense limited Bryant to just eight successful clears in 14 attempts.
• The Raiders forced 21 turnovers, including 12 in the decisive second half.
• Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Brandon Burke picked up right where he left off last season with an 11-save effort for the goalkeeping win.
• Two-goal scorers for Colgate were Stebbins and Donato. Adding single goals were Abbadessa, Wittich, Matt Clarkson, Ryan Walsh and Cameron Williams.
• Clarkson pitched in two assists and Abbadessa one.
• Walsh's goal was the 107th of his Colgate career, ranking the senior seventh in Raider history.
• Walsh this season changed his jersey number from 43 to 22, honoring a late former high school teammate who used to wear that number.
• Colgate tried three hands at the faceoff-X. Peter Marchetto was 3-of-12, Collin Orr 2-of-4 and Conor Braddish 0-of-2. Bryant won 13 of 18 faceoffs.
• Shots favored the Raiders, 33-27.
• Colgate was 15-of-22 on clears to Bryant's 8-of-14. The Raiders forced 21 turnovers and committed just 15.
• Bryant held a 34-22 edge in ground balls, but the difference was nearly even after the first quarter. The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-2 edge in that opening session, but it was only 23-20 Bryant the rest of the way.
 
Turning Point
• Colgate had never trailed in the game but the Raiders led just 5-4 heading into the fourth quarter.
• That's when Colgate's defense turned up the pressure and the offense found a rhythm.
• Stebbins scored with 9:29 showing, and then Wittich found the net on a man-up opportunity with 5:24 left.
• Two more goals followed from Abbadessa and Donato, and the road season-opener against a quality opponent was in the bag.
 

From the Source
• Colgate head coach Mike Murphy: (On the game) "It was a story of two halves. We came out a little tentative in first half. Our offense got a couple of good looks early against a really good goalie. But we had some problems clearing the ball, especially early in that first half.
"We were giving them extra possessions through ground balls and clears. We cleaned that up as we moved into the second half.
"We did a good job limiting what they could do off the faceoffs even though the field was heavily slanted in their direction. In the second half, we did an even better job.
"We were really dominant in the second half in terms of time of possession, and we started to attack the goal a little bit stronger."
(On newcomer contributions) "Our midfield was excellent today, and Donato and Stebbins were a big part of that. I know it's one game, but we've been seeing them making a difference in practice, and it came to fruition today.
"We also got some great play out of Anthony Abbadessa in the attack position, going 1-1."
(On Walsh and Clarkson) "They were paying a lot of attention to Ryan, and he did a good job distributing the ball. He and Matt Clarkson are two veteran leaders out there and they did a good job of calming everybody down."
(On Burke in goal) "Brandon was very good in the goal and came up with a cuple of show-stopper saves. That sparked us a little bit down the stretch. They started to shoot the ball pretty heavily in that fourth quarter and he was up to the challenge with three huge saves in that quarter."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at the Bryant Turf Complex was 712.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is at Vermont next Saturday in a 1 p.m. start.
• The Catamounts opened their season this weekend with a 15-8 loss at No. 17 Penn State. Since Murphy took over the Raiders, Colgate is 3-0 against Vermont and now 16-9 overall.