HAMILTON, N.Y. – Cara O'Reilly, the two-time reigning Patriot League Midfielder of the Week, proved why on Thursday afternoon.
O'Reilly scored her third goal of the game with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter that broke the 9-9 tie and gave Colgate (6-11, 5-4 PL) a one goal victory over visiting Lehigh (8-8, 5-4 PL) at Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
The win, the Raiders' (6-11, 5-4 PL) fourth in a row, clinched the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Championship. Colgate will host the quarterfinal game on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Lehigh.
Lauren Thompson's goal for Colgate with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter tied the score at 9-9.
Olivia Lynch moved to 4-0 in goal for the Raiders this season. The senior made nine saves.
Colgate jumped out to a five goal lead in the first eight minutes of the game thanks to a pair of goals from Eliza Soutter and goals from Devon Maillet, Lauren Marandett, and O'Reilly.
Lehigh scored the next six goals of the game and held a 6-5 lead early in the third quarter before Lucy Licata snapped the Mountain Hawks run with a goal with 12:46 left in the quarter that equaled the score at 6-6.
After Lehigh took an 8-6 lead, goals from Eliza Farriss and O'Reilly scored two of the next three goals of the game and made the deficit 9-8 with 7:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Colgate outshot Lehigh 31-32, while the Raiders also claimed 12 of the 23 draw controls.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Kathy Taylor
"What a great day for the program. We started out scoring early and often only to have Lehigh come roaring back to go ahead of us. Our defense in front of Olivia Lynch was outstanding and she was remarkable. Considering the number of minutes we were forced to play defense it is a remarkable win that just speaks to the growth and commitment of this group of young women. I look forward to a rematch on Sunday."
UP NEXT
Colgate will host the quarterfinal round of the 2022 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Lehigh at Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
