ST. BONAVENTURE - Aubrey McMahon fired home five goals and added two assists to help propel the Raiders to a season opening 14-12 win over St. Bonaventure on Friday afternoon.
After falling behind 3-0, Colgate rallied to equal the score at seven at halftime before pulling away early in the fourth quarter.
COACH GUIDO'S COMMENTS
"Great way to start the season. Maddie Stevens showed up big time in the cage. Was very happy with the production of our offense. But those opportunities don't happen without Josie Cavallo dominating the draw in the second half."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite an early turnover, Colgate's defense, led by Maddie Stevens, managed to block a free position shot by St. Bonaventure's Rylee Gonzalez. However, St. Bonaventure capitalized on a later opportunity, taking a 3-0 lead with goals by Sidney Van Tassel, Brooke Piper, and Grace Hollenbeck midway through the quarter.
Colgate responded with Gracie DeSimone who scored twice, once assisted by Caroline Panzirer, and Aubrey McMahon added another goal, leveling the score at 3-3. Cavallo continued to excel in draw controls, providing Colgate with possession and momentum. In the closing moments, St. Bonaventure's Maddie Pieloch scored, giving the Bonnies a 4-3 lead at the end of the quarter.
Colgate started the second quarter strong with Reese Alofs causing a turnover and DeSimone recovering the ground ball, leading to a successful clear. Panzirer capitalized on the momentum with a goal at 9:47, leveling the score at 4-4. After the Bonnies responded quickly to tie, Colgate regained the lead with another goal by McMahon at 7:44.
Colgate's defense remained resilient, with Stevens making crucial saves. McMahon extended the lead with a player-up goal at 5:22. Despite the Bonnies' two quick goals to briefly take the lead, Ella Bishara scored with an assist from Katie Walsh at 1:14 to tie the game at 7-7. The half concluded with Colgate and the Bonnies locked in a 7-7 draw.
The third quarter opened with Colgate seizing momentum as Sarah Marcovici scored, assisted by McMahon, giving Colgate an initial boost. The Bonnies responded with a goal from Gonzalez to equalize the score. However, Colgate quickly regained control with Marcovici scoring her second goal of the quarter, followed by McMahon and DeSimone finding the back of the net, the latter on a player-up play assisted by McMahon.
As the quarter drew to a close, Gonzalez added her second goal for the Bonnies, but Colgate maintained a narrow lead. The quarter ended with Colgate ahead, 11-9, establishing a strong position going into the final quarter.
Colgate began the fourth quarter with an offensive push that culminated in a goal by Panzirer at 9:55, followed by another man-up goal with an assist from DeSimone at 8:38. This stretch extended Colgate's lead to 13-9 and established control early in the quarter.
The Bonnies responded with a free-position goal by Van Tassel at 5:13, narrowing the gap. However, Colgate's McMahon quickly countered with a goal at 4:48, maintaining a solid lead at 14-10.
The Bonnies fought back with goals from Gonzalez at 3:08 and Piper at 0:27, closing the margin to 14-12. Despite this late surge, Colgate's early-quarter scoring run secured a 14-12 victory as the quarter concluded.
GAME NOTES
- McMahon's five-goal game marks a single-game career best and her seven points is the second most in a single game since her eight-point performance against BU last season.
- Maddie Stevens made 11 saves between the pipes for the Raiders.
- Caroline Panzirer's hat trick inches her within two goals of the century mark for her career.
- Gracie DeSimone posted her first career hat trick and her four-point game is a new career best mark.
- Josie Cavallo picked up six draw controls, leading the Raiders in that category.
- Grace DelNegro and Reese Alofs each tallied two caused turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Raiders (1-0) return to Hamilton for their home opener against Niagara next Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at Andy Kerr Stadium.
