EASTON, Pa. – Colgate rallied from a 1-0 deficit with a pair of second-half goals to capture a 2-1 win at Lafayette Saturday night in the Raiders' regular-season finale. The win secured the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament as the Raiders earned the right to host a quarterfinal game Tuesday.
No. 4 Colgate will host No. 5 Navy at 7 p.m. at Beyer-Small '76 Field Tuesday, Nov. 1. The winner will advance to the Patriot League Semifinals Friday. Both the semifinals and the championship will take place at Bucknell.
Lafayette scored the game's first goal late in the first half, before senior
Sarah Coy put the Raiders on the board five minutes into the second half. Classmate
Ginny Whitman scored her first goal of the season in the final five minutes of play to lead Colgate to the 2-1 victory.
The Raiders got off three of the game's first four shots, including an attempt from first-year
Mara Cosentino that skidded just inches wide. Senior
Sophi Lederer and first-year
Dom DeMarco forced Lafayette keeper Danielle Sedillo to make her first two saves of the game in 16th and 18th minutes before the Raiders rattled off three corner kicks, but weren't able to find the back of the net.
Colgate had a few more quality chances in the first half, but it was Lafayette who was able to convert first. A long ball from Rebe Arnthorsdottir found the feet of Melissa Lynskey who capitalized on a Colgate defense miscue to put the Leopards up 1-0 in the 38th minute.
A Lafayette foul led to a Colgate free kick about 25 yards out in the 50th minute. Coy took the kick and sent the ball over the defensive wall and off the fingertips of Sedillo into the goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Raiders kept the pressure up and allowed just two Lafayette shots the rest of the way, one of which was saved by first-year keeper
Kelly Chiavaro.
After peppering the Leopard defense with a number of good opportunities, Colgate was able to find the game winner in the 86th minute. First-year
Leah Lewis settled a corner kick from Coy and passed it to Whitman who finished the ball into the center of the goal to give the Raiders a late 2-1 lead. Whitman's first goal of the season proved to be the game-winner as Colgate walked away with a 2-1 victory to earn a postseason home game and the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
BOTTOM LINE
WON-LOST RECORDS
- Colgate wraps up the regular season at 8-7-3 overall and 5-4-0 in Patriot League play.
- Lafayette falls to 6-7-4 on the season and 3-5-1 in league action.
KEY RAIDER INFO
- Colgate has earned a trip to the Patriot League Tournament for the ninth-straight season.
- The Raiders wrap up the regular season with a three-game win streak.
- Coy's goal was her seventh of the season and fifth in the last five games.
- Whitman's goal was her first of the season and the second of her career.
- Lewis was credited with an assist on Whiman's goal.
FACTS & FIGURES
- Colgate finished the game with an 18-8 shot advantage and 10-1 corner kick edge.
- Chiavaro was only forced to make one save, while Lafayette tallied six stops.
UP NEXT
- No. 4 Colgate hosts No. 5 Navy at Beyer-Small '76 Field Tuesday at 7 p.m.
- The winner will advance to the Patriot League Semifinals to face No. 1 Bucknell/No. 2 Boston University Friday in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell, the regular-season champion, will host both semifinal games as well as the championship. The winner of the Patriot League Tournament earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
- For more information on the Patriot League Tournament visit Championship Central.
