NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — The Colgate field hockey team opened its season with a 4-1 victory at Merrimack College.
The game, originally scheduled for Friday, was postponed mid-game due to rain, but the two teams resumed play Saturday morning.
Freshman
Dani Palmer had a strong performance in her first collegiate game, tallying two goals.
Just 40 seconds into the game, Palmer scored her first career goal when she collected the ball off a penalty corner and fired a shot that got blocked. She then picked the ball back up and ripped another shot that found its way into the goal.
Sarah Killcommons doubled Colgate's lead with six minutes remaining in the opening period.
Amanda Allen fed a pass to Killcommons whose initial shot got saved before she successfully converted on her second attempt off the rebound.
Five minutes into the second quarter, Palmer notched her second goal of the game.
Aaliyah Linfoot dished the ball to
Alice Walton who threaded a pass into the shooting circle that Palmer got her stick on and redirected into the goal.
Anna Unger stayed active in goal during the first half, making two saves, including a big stop with 30 seconds left in the first half. The senior finished the game with four saves.
The game was postponed shortly after the start of the second half. When play resumed Saturday, neither side could get anything going for the remaining 12:14 of the third quarter.
In the fourth, the Warriors scored with 9:14 remaining to make it a 3-1 game. Merrimack drew a foul in the shooting circle and the referee awarded a penalty stroke that Lauren Burke successfully converted.
Allen pushed the Raiders' lead back to three when she scored with 6:23 remaining in the game. The senior fired a shot that slipped past a wall of Warriors defenders and their goalie before landing in the goal.
Mari Kniezewski picked up an assist on the play.
Colgate held a 14-13 edge in shots, including a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal. Both teams finished with an even nine penalty corners.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach April Cornell-DeAngelis
"I am extremely happy with our first game of the season. Our ability to get on the board within the first 40 seconds of the game created a lot of excitement. I'm really proud of how the team executed the game plan and everyone contributed to the win. The team had the fortitude to adapt to anything that came their way, including the postponement of the game."
UP NEXT
The Raiders are back at it Sunday when they travel to Rider for a noon game.
