As the weather turned frosty in Hamilton, NY, the women’s soccer season began to heat up, with two crucial Patriot League victories last weekend. After having seemingly spent weeks on the road, the Raiders played host twice over the weekend, beating both Holy Cross and Army by a combined score of 5-1. The wins put the Raiders into fifth place in the Patriot League with three wins and three losses and improved their overall record to 11-5.

The games were crucial for the Raiders’ season because Holy Cross was a point ahead of Colgate in the Patriot League standings, and Army had been a thorn in Colgate’s side for the last two years, ending the Raiders season early in the Patriot League playoffs last year and playing in three straight games that either went into overtime or reached penalty kicks.

On Friday Colgate defeated Holy Cross 2-1, with first-year Liz Polido scoring her first collegiate goal for the game winner at the close of the first half. Midway through the initial stanza, the Crusaders beat junior goaltender Carly Sousa, but classmate Franny Iacuzzi responded with her team high sixth goal of the campaign only a minute later to tie the game. With just over a minute left in the half, Polido put the Raiders ahead. The Raiders pounded out 27 shots in the game, including an astounding 18 in the first half.

With a day of rest, the Raiders defeated Army soundly in a 3-0 affair. First-year Jessica Bitsack scored twice and senior Kelly Niland added a goal and an assist. Sousa and first-year Carrie Glass combined in net for the shutout as Colgate finally beat Army in regulation for the first time in two years. Sousa, Bitsack, and junior Kathleen Head were named Patriot League Goalkeeper, Rookie, and Defender of the week for their efforts over the weekend.

Colgate plays a must-win game at American on Saturday afternoon, with the winner likely securing the last spot in the Patriot League playoffs. Currently, American has a 3-2-1 record to Colgate’s 3-3, but a win would leapfrog the Raiders over American into either the third or fourth seed, depending on the outcome of Lehigh’s match with Holy Cross.