HAMILTON – The second quarter was a strong one for the Colgate field hockey program against Lock Haven, although the visitors came back to claim the Raiders' home opener in a 3-2 final. Goals by
Katie Anderson and
Meghan Minturn were firsts of the season, while goalkeeper
Anna Unger notched five saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate and Lock Haven came to a scoreless end of the opening quarter, much behind a pair of big saves off Lock Haven corners by sophomore goalkeeper
Anna Unger. As the teams entered the second stanza, Lock Haven took the lead off of another corner shot, but Colgate did just the same only 48 seconds later. After a shot from the top of the circle, junior
Katie Anderson tipped in the ball low past the keeper to even the board.
Before halftime commenced, junior
Meghan Minturn earned her first of the season as well when her long shot from the edge of the circle, found the low right corner of the goal. Colgate was able to carry its 2-1 lead into halftime in its home opener.
Both teams returned to the field with strong defensive play, although Lock Haven was awarded five penalty corners to the Raiders two. Capitalizing on their chances, the Bald Eagles garnered a narrow 3-2 lead by the end of the third quarter. Looking to even the field, Colgate saw a quality scoring chance with just 1:00 remaining in regulation, but the 3-2 final stood as the Raiders fell in their home opener.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Junior
Katie Anderson notched her first goal of the season and second in her career after scoring against Fairfield last season (Oct. 21, 2018).
• In addition to leading the team with three shots, junior
Meghan Minturn scored her first of the season. Minturn extends to a two-game point streak after earning an assist against Saint Louis (Aug. 31).
• Junior
Taylor Casamassa begins an active two-game point streak after she followed up her four against Saint Louis (Aug. 31), with an assist on Anderson's goal.
• After scoring against Saint Louis,
Nicole Salamone also extends to a two-game point streak by assisting on Anderson's tally. The senior now holds three points in the season's three games by one goal and one assist.
• Sophomore goalkeeper
Anna Unger tallied a season-high of five saves, which are the most since she recorded nine against Lafayette last season (Oct. 6).
• A well-rounded offense, Colgate's eight shots on goal came from seven different players.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Lock Haven 3, Colgate 2
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 1-2 overall record.
• Lock Haven marks a 2-1 record on the year.
HEAD COACH APRIL CORNELL'S TAKE
"Defensively, our structure is getting more sound and they're really communicating and organizing well back there. With a freshman center back and two sophomores back there, they're confidence in the game is getting stronger. I'm really excited about how
Emily Kness played back there today, stepping up to balls and staying composed under a lot of pressure.
"We do have a lot of depth and it's so exciting. We're trying to play a fast-paced game this year, so with quarters we can continue subbing to keep the flow. It's helped in making us confident in the ability for anyone to get out there and make something happen by executing in the circle."
On first game with new Tyler's Field turf: "It was really exciting for the team. They were excited about playing at home and playing on a new surface, especially something they are so confident playing on. This new surface is so consistent and it stays wet and it's just such a perfect surface to play on so it was exciting for us to open up here."
Preparation for Sunday's game: "We need to keep doing what we did today, but defensively just a making sure we're taking care of the ball when we make attempts to intercept or tackle so that we're not giving possession back to the opposing team. I think that's where we're giving up some second and third shots and some corners. We had a few too many penalty corners today, so if we can eliminate that like we did against Saint Louis, that gives us an advantage to win the game. We know we can score and attack from all different areas of the field, so it's just keeping the sound defensive structure for Sunday's game."
UP NEXT
The Raiders continue action at home on Sunday, Sept. 8, as they host Towson for continued nonconference action. Game time is set for noon 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.
