BOSTON, Mass. – Colgate found itself in the driver's seat with all the momentum after a second half game-tying goal by
Adrienne Vaughn, but Lehigh issued the final blow with less than a minute left in regulation to defeat the Raiders 2-1 Friday night in the Patriot League semifinals at Nickerson Field.
Lehigh got off to a fast start and struck first in the 18th minute. Maggie Wadsworth took the ball into Colgate territory and split the Raider back line with a pass to Courtney Supp on the left wing.
Kelly Chiavaro came out to eliminate the angle, but Supp chipped a shot directly off the right post and in to give the Mountain Hawks the early lead.
Colgate's best chance came on a corner kick by
Sage DiGiulio in the 16th minute. DiGiulio's cross twirled into the box towards the far post, where
Sydney Maxson found space and connected with a header towards the net. Sam Miller shifted over to make the save and thwart the Raiders' scoring opportunity.
The Raiders took over in possession, delivering four unanswered shots on goal but none found the back of the net before the halftime horn. In the 41st minute,
Abby Sotomayor battled traffic at the top of the box and fired a hard shot on net but Miller dove to her right to snag the shot before it crossed the goal line.
Colgate continued to force heavy pressure in the second half, and Vaughn broke through with the equalizer in the 60th minute. Shortly after
Hannah Pinkus redirected a header just over the crossbar,
Mara Cosentino led the Raiders back on the attack. The Patriot League Midfielder of the Year drew a defender towards her before feeding a through ball into the box for Vaughn, who pounded a shot into the right side of the net to knot the match at 1-1.
Vaughn had a couple more late chances turned away and Cosentino forced a save in the 74th minute as Colgate continued to dominate possession. Chiavaro came away with a spectacular toe save in the final two minutes, but Lehigh did not go away and scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute left.
With the clock winding down, Clare Severe earned a corner kick and inserted a cross to the back post, where Sabrina Mertz was in the right place at the right time for the one-timer header goal with just 40 seconds left in regulation.
The Raiders had one final possession but could not generate a scoring chance as the Mountain Hawks held on for the 2-1 victory.
BOTTOM LINE
• Lehigh 2, Colgate 1
FOR THE RECORD
• Colgate saw its season come to an end at 11-4-3.
• Lehigh improved to 8-11-0 on the year and advanced to the Patriot League title match.
KEY RAIDER NOTES
• The Raiders return all 11 starters from tonight's match.
• Colgate's 11 wins were its most since 2014, and the team's win percentage (.694) is the second-highest mark in the last 10 years.
• Colgate is now 20-8-3 all-time versus Lehigh, including a 2-1-0 mark in postseason play.
• The Raiders' 11 shutouts tied the program record.
• Vaughn's marker was her first collegiate goal.
• Cosentino notched her eighth career assist on the tally.
• Maxson and Cosentino led Colgate with two shots on goal apiece.
• Chiavaro finished with one save in goal for the Raiders.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Colgate owned a 15-8 advantage in shots, including an 8-3 edge in shots on goal.
• Corner kicks were 5-3 in favor of the Raiders.
• Fouls finished 6-4, Lehigh.
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach
Kathy Brawn:
"This was a tough loss tonight, especially with the way it ended. Lehigh is a good team and earned their victory tonight, but we feel for our five seniors who have worked so hard to get to where we are today and to build the culture of this team. That's what makes it sting the most."
"There were so many impressive outcomes this year. We had so many accomplishments and overcame a lot of adversity throughout the year. There is so much to build upon. We are a very young team. Adrienne [Vaughn] scored her first career goal tonight. I am so proud of this group and really honored to be their coach."
"From all our players to our assistant coaches, Alyssa [Manoogian] and Jenna [Gibney] to our support staff, this is such a great experience and we are confident that we will be back again next year."
