WASHINGTON, D.C. (4/25/08) – The Colgate women's lacrosse team set a Patriot League Tournament record by scoring 22 goals en route to a 22-12 win over Lehigh in the conference semifinals on Friday, Apr. 25, at American University's Jacobs Field. The Raiders (9-9) will play the host Eagles in Sunday's title tilt.
Colgate was paced by sophomore Meghan Lawler (Liverpool, N.Y.), who had a career-high seven points on four goals and three assists. Her three helpers were part of another PL tournament record set by the Raiders, as the team finished with nine assists. Senior Lindsay Pittard (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and sophomore Brie Moran (Little Silver, N.J.) also netted four goals each and both added an assist. Junior Ashley Didio (Syracuse, N.Y.) finished with three goals and an assist, and senior Jessica Van der Meulen (Liverpool, N.Y.) added two goals and two helpers. Junior Molly Carroll (Swarthmore, Pa.) added two goals, and four other Raiders contributed one point each.
Lehigh's offense was paced by Inneke Carmola and Patriot League Rookie of the Year Lauren Dykstra, who each scored three goals. Sara MacIntyre added two goals and an assist, while Tess McGrath chipped in three assists. Meagan Tenety posted two goals and a helper, while Allison Thomas and Christy Smith each scored a goal.
Lehigh took a 4-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. However, following a timeout, the Raiders scored eight straight over the next 14 minutes to take an 8-4 lead. The Mountain Hawks snapped out of their scoring drought by netting three of the next five to make the scoreboard read 9-7 with 3:19 to play. But Moran scored two of Colgate's three goals during the last three minutes of the half to send her team into the break with a 12-7 advantage.
Pittard scored the first goal of the second half before the teams traded points until the scoreboard read 15-9. Colgate then used the next 11 minutes to score five straight goals and go up 20-9. Lehigh scored twice to nullify the running clock, but Pittard netted back-to-back goals within 2:36 to give Colgate twice the goals as the Mountain Hawks, 22-11. Dykstra capped the game's scoring with 61 seconds left to set the final at 22-12.
Raider junior goalkeeper Sara Drexler (Pottstown, Pa.) earned six saves in the win. Lehigh's Kelsy Ferris also finished the game with six stops.
Colgate's 22 goals were not only a Patriot League Tournament single-game record, they were also the most goals scored by a Raider team since 1997. Colgate outshot Lehigh 36-23, and earned a 23-18 edge on groundballs. The Mountain Hawks won 19 of 36 draws, and the Raiders forced 11 turnovers to Lehigh's seven.
The Raiders will face top-seeded American in the Patriot League championship game on Sunday, Apr. 27, at 1:00 p.m. The Eagles came from behind to beat Navy, 17-15, in the first semifinal game on Friday. In each of the first seven years of the tournament, the top seed and host school has won the tournament title; Colgate will be looking to break that streak on Sunday.