The Colgate men’s lacrosse team played their final Patriot League game of the season this past Friday with a strong 17-9 win over the Lafayette Leopards. The Raiders depended on this win to secure their spot in the Patriot League tournament. The Leopards were the first to score in the contest off of an unassisted goal from Lafayette sophomore midfielder Zane Crandall. The Raiders took almost 10 minutes to answer back and tie the contest 1-1 when junior midfielder Duncan Hoskinson scored off an assist from junior midfielder Matt Donovan. However, the Leopards scored two more goals before the end of the first quarter, leading 3-1.

The Raiders were able to pull away and build a comfortable lead in the second quarter. Throughout the quarter, the Raider defense held the Leopards scoreless while the men were able to tally six goals. The first goal of the second quarter was from sophomore midfielder Griffin Brown off an assist from junior attacker Sam Cleveland. Hoskinson recorded his second goal off an assist from first-year attackman Mike Hawkins. 

Cleveland tallied two more points as he then scored unassisted and then fed Brown in for another goal. Sophomore attackman Nicky Petkevich put up an unassisted goal with 4:19 left in the second quarter making the score 5-3. Cleveland and Brown connected again with twelve seconds left in the second quarter as Brown assisted Cleveland’s second goal of the game to advance the lead 7-3.

The Raiders were able to score another six goals in the third quarter as first year attackman James Caddigan Jr. scored unassisted with 12:40 left in the third. The Leopards answered back with senior midfielder Will McCarthy’s goal. The Raiders then went on a three-goal run to advance the score to 11-4 with goals from senior attackman Chase Wittich, senior midfielder Will Blumenberg and Hawkins. The Leopards were only able to put up one more goal before both Brown and Hoskinson scored again from the Raiders. The Leopards scored the last goal before the end of the quarter, moving the score to 13-7. 

The Raiders outscored the Leopards again 6-4 in the fourth quarter. Wittich and Donovan put up points for the Raiders. Lafayette’s junior attackman Conor Walters eventually snuck one in for the Leopards. Wittich then sealed off his hat trick of the game right before senior midfielder Jackson Lanning scored unassisted. The Leopards had the last goal of the game off McCarthy’s hat trick to end the game 17-9. 

Brown, Hoskinson and Wittich all recorded hat tricks for the Raiders. This was Brown’s fourth hat trick of the season, and he holds the most goals on the team with 32. Cleveland led the Raiders in points with his performance of three goals and two assists, putting him in close range of alumns Brian Kopp’s 1985 record of 34 assists in a single season. 

“We started a little slow on the offensive side of the ball but responded well. Coach Abbott did an unbelievable job with our guys, and to come out in that second quarter the way we did and carry that through to the third quarter was impressive,” head coach Mike Murphy said.

Although the Raiders finished 3-5 in conference play, they were able to secure the fifth seed for tournament play and faced fourth seeded Lehigh in the Patriot League Quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 24. They lost 6-11, which eliminated the Raiders from advancing in the tournament, ultimately ending the men’s lacrosse season.

Contact Lexi Luthringer at [email protected].