WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Colgate field hockey program dropped their final Patriot League game of the season after American's quick start on its home turf Saturday afternoon. In the 6-1 final, sophomore
Taylor Casamassa helped the Raiders avoid the shutout as she tallied her first goal of the season in the second half offensive push.
HOW IT HAPPENED
American's start was quick, with the first goal coming in just the eighth minute before the Eagles built a 3-0 lead through the first 15:00 of play. A Colgate timeout helped slow the pace, but the Raiders hit the midway point of the game trailing by a 4-0 deficit.
Compared to just one shot in the first half, Colgate responded in the second half with five additional scoring attempts in the second half of play. After much more energy across the field, Casamassa got the Raiders on the board with just under 7:00 to go in regulation with a swing to the far side post. The offensive push by the Raiders continued through the final horn, but ultimately fell in the 6-1 final.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• By getting the Raiders on the board, sophomore
Taylor Casamassa tallied her first goal of the season, and first with the Colgate field hockey program since transferring from Hofstra. With the goal, Casamassa has now tallied four points in the last two games by one goal and two assists.
• In addition to her unassisted goal, Casamassa also marked two of the Raiders three shots on goal, for her fourth multi-shot on goal game of the season.
• In the cage, sophomore
Emma Goldberg marked five saves on 18 shots faced in her fourth straight start.
• Helping out defensively, junior Emma DeNoble marked a defensive save for the Raiders.
• After scoring her first goal of the season last game against Fairfield, freshman
Nikki Potter kept her offense rolling as she tallied a shot on goal against the Eagles in the second half.
COACH CORNELL'S TAKE
"We approached the game with a very positive mind set and stepped on the field with intensity. American ran a very good press and it challenged us to possess the ball out of the back field, which in turn put a lot of pressure on us defensively. We are going to continue to build on this for the future and also overcome adversity and not let intangibles take away from our game plan. We have refocused and we're looking forward to finishing strong in our final home match tomorrow."
THE BOTTOM LINE
• American 6, Colgate 1
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 3-14 record overall, and completes the season 0-6 in Patriot League action.
• American improves to 8-7 on the season, with a 4-2 mark in conference play.
UP NEXT
The Raiders conclude the 2018 season tomorrow, Oct. 28 as they host Rider in nonconference play. Game time is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Tyler's Field.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate field hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateFH and on Instagram at Colgate_FH.
