MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Colgate field hockey program earned its first win of the season in a 4-1 victory against Saint Louis on neutral turf Saturday afternoon. In an exciting explosion of offensive opportunities, junior
Taylor Casamassa topped the Raider lineup with four points, while freshman
Mari Kniezewski notched the first goal of her collegiate career.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Saint Louis launched the quick start by gaining a 1-0 lead just 1:49 into the game, the Raiders spent the next 58:00 of action taking full advantage of its offensive opportunities.
Senior
Nicole Salamone quickly responded for the Raiders by evening the field at 1-1 just minutes later with her first of the season. After ending the first quarter with the 1-1 tie, junior
Nora Mulroy claimed the lead for Colgate with her first of the year just 2:02 into the second quarter.
The Raiders entered the second half looking to defend its narrow one-goal lead, until Casamassa increased Colgate's lead to 3-1 midway through the third. Freshman
Mari Kniezewski rounded out the scoring on the day as she tallied Colgate's fourth goal with 5:22 remaining in regulation. After posting one goal in each quarter, Colgate completed its first win of the season in a 4-1 final.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• By holding a 27-1 advantage in total shots, it marked the most shots for Colgate since a 30-shot game against Siena on Sept. 6, 2017. By landing nine on goal, it marks the most shots on goal for the Raiders since the same game.
• The Raiders were smart within the arc, not sacrificing a single corner opportunity to Saint Louis, all the while capitalizing on their 15 chances at the Billikens goal.
• By having a hand in each of Colgate's first three goals, junior
Taylor Casamassa notched a four-point day with one goal and two assists. The four-point game is a career-high for the Hummelstown, Pennsylvania native since having a pair of two-point performances last season.
• Senior
Nicole Salamone earned her first goal of the season and second in her career after scoring against Lafayette last season (Oct. 6, 2018).
• Junior
Nora Mulroy scored her first goal of the season, which stood as the game-winner. The forward was last season's leading goal scorer for the Raiders with six goals for 12 points on the year.
• Freshman
Mari Kniezewski was the first from Colgate's freshman class to notch her first career goal in just the second game of the season.
• With a hand on Casamassa's goal, sophomore
Kali Williams earned her first point of the season and first assist since against Lafayette (Oct. 6, 2018).
• After marking nine points last season, junior
Meghan Minturn was back on the scoresheet by assisting on Kniezewski's goal.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 4, Saint Louis 1
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate improves to a 1-1 record after opening weekend.
• Saint Louis starts the season with an 0-1 record.
COACH APRIL CORNELL'S TAKE
"I very happy with our team's performance today. We showed a lot of confidence and played aggressively. It was great to see our team connecting, and so many contributing to a dominating performance on attack.
"We can't wait to get back out on the turf and prepare for our home opener on Friday."
UP NEXT
Looking ahead, the Raiders host Lock Haven in their home opener on Friday, Sept. 6. Game time is slated for a 6 p.m. start for the nonconference matchup 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.
