HAMILTON – The Colgate field hockey program was first to get on the board in non-conference play against UMass Lowell Sunday afternoon, but the River Hawks strong second half lifted them to a 5-2 win on Tyler's Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A competitive first half featured passes connecting across the field and play that showed offensive chances in both zones. For the second game in a row, the Raiders were first to get on the scoreboard as sophomore
Nora Mulroy received a mid-field pass from sophomore
Taylor Casamassa. Mulroy entered the arch with a low swing that got the ball past the keeper for the 1-0 lead 16:28 into the game.
Lowell responded with a quick scoring span in which they tallied a pair of goals just 1:12 apart, carrying the momentum to the start of the second half. Just 6:06 into the second half, Lowell increased its lead to 3-1, but Colgate's freshman
Nikki Potter responded midway through the half. When the Raiders saw its first penalty corner opportunity of the game, they were able to capitalize as Potter redirected the initial shot by sophomore
Meghan Minturn. Although the Raiders saw two more penalty corner chances in the second half and tallied one more shot on goal, they were unable to get past UMass Lowell with the late pair of goals the River Hawks added for the 5-2 final.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• With the opening goal in the game, sophomore
Nora Mulroy tallied her third goal in in the last two games. A native of Midlothian, Virginia, Mulroy currently leads the team with six goals and 12 total points.
• Posting points in back-to-back games was sophomore
Taylor Casamassa after earning an assist on Mulroy's tally and an assist yesterday against Lafayette. Not only is it her first career point streak, but Casamassa also earned her first multi-point game as she marked a pair of assists with a hand in Potter's second half goal.
• In the cage, sophomore goalkeeper
Emma Goldberg made her fifth appearance of the season and earned her first start of the year. While defending the Colgate goal, Goldberg marked a season-high of nine saves, surpassing her previous best of seven against Lock Haven (Sept. 9).
• Freshman
Nikki Potter's second goal of the season to put the Raiders within one midway through the game against UMass Lowell. Her first career goal came just three games ago against Cornell (Sept. 25).
• After scoring the opening goal yesterday against Lafayette, sophomore
Meghan Minturn earned points in back-to-back games for the first time in her career by earning an assist Potter's tally against UMass Lowell.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• UMass Lowell 5, Colgate 2
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate is now 2-11 on the season, and holds a 0-4 record in Patriot League play.
• UMass Lowell holds a 7-5 overall record.
COACH CORNELL'S TAKE
"I'm really happy with Nora [Mulroy's] execution today. She's very strong in the circle when gets an opportunity and I think she does the simple well. She knows what she wants to do, and is decisive about it. I think it's really effective inside the circle."
"I think the more we're connecting as a team and really focusing on playing together, the team gains a lot of confidence out of that. They're starting to be more decisive in our passing and knowing they have the support around their teammates, and it makes the game that much easier if your passing well and moving the ball with speed. It's creating a lot more opportunities on the attack, and we're using our numbers for that advantage and it's exciting."
"Our keys for this week are to build on this past weekend, especially on the attacking side where we had some great execution and goal scoring. Scoring six goals on the weekend I think was a strong point for us, where we have struggled in the past to connect and execute. It was great for several different attackers to be able to finish and them just really being cohesive and gelling together well. I think for us it is about the mentality of being really aggressive and competing every play. That's where we're going to have a really competitive week in practice so we can carry it into this weekend."
UP NEXT
The Raiders will now be on a four-game road stretch, beginning with Lehigh on Saturday, Oct. 13. The Colgate field hockey program returns home for its final game on Tyler's Field for the 2018 season on Sunday, Oct. 28 as they host Rider for non-conference play.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate field hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateFH and on Instagram at Colgate_FH.
