ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Colgate women's lacrosse program faced a defensive battle for ball possession on Saturday afternoon at Navy. Despite pressuring with 15 shots on goal and some stellar saves in goal, the Raiders fell by a 12-5 margin in Patriot League play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Navy gained a 3-0 edge through the opening 10:00 before Kyra Lucey cracked Colgate onto the board. Gaining a man-up opportunity, the Raiders looked to narrow the score and went on to kill off a shorthanded stint of their own before a quick stick goal by Cara O'Reilly got them within one at 3-2 midway through.
 
Able to answer, Navy put up a pair of their own before some stellar saves by Amelia Cunningham stalled the scoring. Navy's three-goal run was snapped by Eliza Soutter's 29th of the year. As the clock ticked down, Cunningham made another solid save when facing a free position, to close out the half at a 6-3 marker.
 
In a game where Colgate trailed by three, it needed to come out for the second half with an offensive start, but it was Navy who would make that early impact. Eventually, Soutter snapped a four-goal streak by Navy when she scored low on a free position.
 
It was then that the Colgate offense began to click, as it scored back-to-back with a cross pass in by Catie Lang found Courtney Quirk. Her sixth of the season made it a 10-5 game that Colgate looked to get back in.
 
Looking to build on the momentum of a pair of goals, there were back-to-back shots by the combination of Noelle Patterson and Quirk, but Navy's goalie made the outstanding stops. Even with a free position shot bounced in the circle while a man-up, the Raiders were still unable to crack past the Navy netminder.
 
Navy would add two more tallies, but despite another player advantage for Colgate, the horn would sound before they could narrow up the 12-5 result.
 
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Behind a pair, sophomore Eliza Soutter recorded her eighth multi-goal game of the season for a team-leading 30 total goals on the year.
• With her tally, sophomore Cara O'Reilly extended to a six-game scoring streak, while she topped the team with her three shots on goal.
• First-year goalie Amelia Cunningham marked 10 saves. It stands as her fourth-straight double-digit save performance, for a total of five on the year.
• Senior defender Hanna Christian recorded a season-high of three ground balls and two caused turnovers on the day.
• First-year Kyra Lucey extended to a four-game scoring streak with her tally. Her nine on the year leads the freshman class.
• The Raiders were accurate, landing 15 of their 18 total shots on goal.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Navy 12, Colgate 5
 
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 4-4 record, and a 3-3 mark in Patriot League action.
• Navy is 6-3 overall on the season, and is 2-2 in Patriot League play.
 
UP NEXT
Colgate rounds out the regular season next Saturday, April 24 at Boston University. First draw is set for 4 p.m. as the Raiders look to lock in a spot in the four-team Patriot League Tournament.  
 
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate women's lacrosse program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateWLax and on Instagram at ColgateWLax.