ITHACA, N.Y. – Despite a late offensive push by the Raiders, the Colgate women's lacrosse program fell to in-state rival Cornell by a 14-6 score in nonconference play.
The Big Red made an early impact as they scored off of the initial draw for a 1-0 lead just 10 seconds into the game. Cornell's lead stood for only 3:00 as
Noelle Patterson scored on a solo charge down the field to tie the game at 1-1, a mark that would stand for the next 10:00 of play.
After Cornell regained the lead with back-to-back goals for a 3-1 advantage midway through the half,
Lindsay West narrowed it to a one-goal game with her fifth of the season. Although Cornell continued to inch ahead, Patterson pulled the Raiders within two with her second of the day in the final minutes of the opening half.
Colgate returned for the second half facing a 7-3 deficit and looked to battle back against the in-state rival. The Big Red pressured on for a nine-goal swing and 14-3 edge, including back-to-back goals on free position shots but the Raiders continued to compete until the final horn. As the clock waned on the final minutes of regulation, the Raiders answered with three straight goals in a span of 3:12 to double its scoring on the day.
After
Alissa Masini ignited the second half scoring streak, freshman
Celia Meyer found the back of the net with a rebound at the edge of the circle to narrow the Big Red's lead yet again. It was with just 1:53 remaining in regulation that Patterson wove around the circle and flipped the ball to the cage to complete her hat trick and the day's scoring in a 14-6 final.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• With a trio of goals, junior
Noelle Patterson earned her first career hat trick for a team-leading 11 goals on the season. A native of Vestal, New York, Patterson has found the back of the net in all six games this year and marked her fourth straight multi-goal game. A well-rounded game, Patterson also recovered a team-high of four ground balls on the day.
• After most recently notching a hat trick against Wagner, junior
Lindsay West followed it up by scoring in her second straight game. West now holds five goals in her five games played.
• By scoring Colgate's fourth goal, junior
Alissa Masini recorded her sixth of the season and begins a two-game scoring streak.
• In Colgate's late offensive push, freshman
Celia Meyer recorded first career goal in her first career game played.
• In addition to earning 11 saves through 51:25 of play, junior goalkeeper
Samantha Croston earned point with an assist on Colgate's opening goal. It marks the first time since at least 2006 since a goalkeeper has recorded a point.
• Freshman goalie
Olivia Lynch saw her first career minutes when she tended the cage for 8:35 and made two saves for the Raiders.
• Colgate recovered 16 ground balls to Cornell's 11, and held the advantage in draw controls 12-10.
• Sophomore
Annelise Kotz earned a team-high of four draw controls on the day.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Cornell 14, Colgate 6
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 2-4 overall record.
• Cornell is 2-2 overall on the season, and is 1-0 in Ivy League play.
COACH BEVILLE'S TAKE
"While we battled on the draw circle and won the majority of the ground ball battles today, we failed to put the ball in the back of the net. We scored three goals in the last 5 minutes of the game which is great and shows the fight in some of our players. Hopefully next game we will put a full 60 minutes together."
UP NEXT
Colgate concludes its three-game road stint by traveling to Macon, Georgia next week to face Mercer. First draw is set for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 for the final nonconference game of the season.
The Raiders begin Patriot League play at home on Saturday, March 16 against the 2018 Patriot League Tournament Champion in Navy.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate women's lacrosse program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateWLax and on Instagram at ColgateWLax.
