PHILADELPHIA – Colgate saw its run of consecutive shutouts snapped and never quite recovered from two early goals in a 2-1 decision Sunday at La Salle.
Hannah Pinkus extended her scoring streak to three consecutive games. She had assists in back-to-back matches before finding the back of the net late in regulation here Sunday.
Her first goal of the season trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the 85th minute when
Ruby Diodati sent a perfect corner kick to the top of the box. Pinkus was on the receiving end and one-timed it home to give the Raiders momentum in the waning minutes.
Colgate had one more chance with another corner kick in the 86th minute, but
Nicole Apuzzi struck a shot wide left and La Salle ran the clock out to secure the one-goal triumph.
The home team jumped on the board in the 14th minute after a turnover near midfield. Shea Collins raced down the far side and sent a cross into the box, where it ricocheted off a Raider defender and Danielle Rooney was on the finishing end for the early go-ahead marker.
La Salle doubled its lead midway through the opening half. Camaren Cox one-timed a centering pass high and it deflected off the outstretched arms of Colgate keeper
Emma Hickey into the netting to double the Explorers' lead in the 23rd minute.
Colgate's best chance in the opening half came from
Julia Lombardo, who sent a shot low-center but it was saved by Jordynn Stallard. The Raiders were unable to cash in on a pair of corner kicks in the final seconds of halftime, and went into the break trailing 2-0.
It was a neutral second half with more ball possession at midfield.
Adrienne Vaughn created one of Colgate's better chances in the 67th minute, centering a high pass toward the net, but it was deflected away. Less than a minute later, Diodati's corner kick entered dangerous area, but the Explorers' defense once again eliminated the threat without allowing a shot.
Neither team found the net in the second half until Pinkus' late one-timer.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Lyndse Hokanson
"Obviously we are disappointed in the end result, but really pleased with the effort from the group today. We knew it was going to be a fast, physical battle and that's exactly what it was. We got knocked around a bit in the first half and conceded two goals in short order.
"We asked the team at half how they would respond and if they would have the courage to counter back. And to their credit, they did. We got better as the game went on and that's the whole point of non-conference, to keep getting better with each half. Now we'll recover and prepare for another great set of games next weekend."
UP NEXT
Colgate stays on the road to face Central Connecticut State (Friday) and Yale (Sunday) next weekend. Friday's kickoff is set for 1 p.m., while Sunday's Patriot-Ivy affair is scheduled for 4 p.m.
