BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Two
Josie Tunney goals on either side of halftime helped propel the Raiders to their fourth Patriot League win of the season at Ulrich Sports Complex on Wednesday night.
COACH HOKANSON'S COMMENTS
"Another grind-it-out kind of win tonight. Credit to the group for continuing to go again after we conceded. Disappointing that we let them back into the game, we switched off for one moment and made it much harder on ourselves than it needed to be. For all of our possession and shots, we have to find a higher conversion rate to put our games away. Good that we know we can continue to grow but are finding results along the way. Lehigh really made some great adjustments in the second half so we'll have to find answers to countermoves as we get into the final few games. Nonetheless, winning is hard, winning on the road in this league is especially hard, and I'm really proud that this team found a way to get it done for each other tonight. Now a quick turnaround to another tough away game on Saturday at Loyola."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first period began with Colgate establishing an early offensive presence. Despite several attempts, including shots by Ellie Stokes and Ari Bezanson, none found the back of the net initially. The Raiders maintained pressure through consistent corner kicks and shots, testing Lehigh's goalkeeper, R'Reeyah Mabry-Francis, who made several key saves.
Colgate's persistence was rewarded in the 37th minute when Josie Tunney broke the deadlock, after a Cate Childers shot deflected off a defender and spun into the goalmouth. As the half concluded, the Raiders led 1-0, controlling the tempo and limiting the Mountain Hawks' opportunities to equalize.
The second period began with Lehigh leveling the score at 1-1 when Sophia Lis found the net with an assist from Paige Place at the 46:24 mark. Colgate quickly intensified their offensive efforts, with multiple attempts on target. Bezanson and Ana Schremp both challenged the Mountain Hawks' goalkeeper, Mabry-Francis, but were unable to add to the scoreline.
Colgate's persistence paid off when Tunney scored in the 69th minute, assisted by Molly Richards, reclaiming the lead at 2-1. Despite Lehigh's attempts to equalize, with several shots off-target and a crucial save by Ella Poppinga, the Raiders maintained their advantage. The period concluded with Colgate holding a 2-1 lead.
GAME NOTES
- Colgate picked up its fourth conference win of the season, its most since 2018.
- Tunney posted her first multi-goal game of her career and equaled Bezanson with four goals on the season.
- Molly Richards picked up her first assist of the season.
- Nikki DiCaprio, Sophia Ro, and the entire back line held Lehigh to just two shots on goal.
- The Raiders 27 shots total and 13 on target are both season highs.
UP NEXT
Colgate (7-4-4, 4-1-1 Patriot) stays on the road to take on Loyola. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.
