The Colgate’s Women’s Lacrosse team is on a roll. The Raiders scored 13 goals on the 13th day of April to seal their latest victory against American. As of Saturday’s game, they are on a three-game Patriot League win streak. The team relentlessly battled it out against the Eagles to earn a 13-11 win. The team knew it was going to be a fairly even matchup going into Saturday’s game because, according to NCAA rankings, Colgate stood at No.74 with a record of 5-7 and American at No.76 with a similar record of 6-7.

The first half of the game was a back-and forth-scoring frenzy. Colgate’s powerhouse scorer, junior midfielder Noelle Patterson, was the first player to add to the scoreboard. Her unassisted goal was quickly followed by a goal for the Eagles. The rest of the first half mirrored the first scoring sequence by the two teams, alternating adding goals to the scoreboard.

The first half looked like a very even matchup and neither team dominated their end of the field. The half concluded in a tied score of 6-6, making the win manageably up for grabs for either team. It all came down to which team had more gas in their tank for the remaining 30 minutes of the game.

Colgate came out with a newfound energy in the second half. The Raiders’ offensive side played in a unified manner, working to each player’s strengths and not resorting to individualistic style. Sophomore midfielder Annelise Kotz was the first to capitalize off of Colgate’s adrenaline rush, scoring the first goal of the half. Junior attacker Lindsay West widened the score gap by taking advantage of her teammate, sophomore attacker Danielle Van Calcar’s sniper pass to the top of the crease. The Raiders built an even larger lead, adding two more goals to the board. At around the 18-minute mark, the Raiders were up 10-6, making it more difficult for the Eagles to have any hope of a comeback.

Finally, the Eagles decided to make the game a little more interesting by answering back to the Raiders around the 17-minute mark. However, Colgate continued to pile on the goals. The rest of the game mirrored the first half, in a back-and-forth scoring battle between both offensive ends. The Raiders ferociously fought to hold their lead and solidified their win with a 13-11 triumph against the Eagles.

Although the first half seemed like a pretty even matchup, the Raiders definitely looked like the better team in the second half. Colgate’s players were sprinting for every ground ball, capitalizing on scoring opportunities and defensively staying quick on their toes.

Colgate’s win was definitely the definition of a hard-fought team win. Eight different Raiders added to the 13-11 score. Patterson was the team’s offensive MVP, scoring her fifth hat trick of the season. Freshman midfielder Claudia Pilcher made her presence known around the draw control circle, winning six

possessions for the Raiders. However, the win could not have been earned without the solid performance by a well organized defensive squad. Junior goalie Samantha Croston had nine important game saves and did a great job of communicating with her defenders. Another impressive defensive game was played by speedy sophomore defender Hannah Christian, who hustled for four ground balls and led the team in three caused turnovers. Colgate had remarkable plays on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field.

The Raiders played the game with an admirable team effort mentality. On April 17 at 5p.m. the Raiders will be playing Patriot League rival Army at Beyer-Small. Come out and cheer your Raiders on to make that Patriot League four-game streak!

Contact Liv Fitzgerald at [email protected].