Colgate’s field hockey team finished out it season this past weekend with back-to-back games on Saturday October 28 and Sunday October 29. The Raiders fell to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 0-1 and the Pacific Tigers 1-7.

On Saturday, both Colgate and Lehigh remained goalless at half-time, although the Raiders had a 8-4 shot advantage. The Mountain Hawks put up the first and only goal of the game 11:51 minutes into the first half as first-year forward Drew Pecora scored from in front of the circle off a pass from senior midfielder Jackie Renda. The game was close until the very last second, when the Raiders were granted a penalty corner they hoped to turn into a goal to tie the game. Colgate’s sophomore midfielder Nicole Salamone inserted the ball to senior defender Molly Klare who wound up to shoot. However, the corner was knocked away and the Raiders fell to the Mountain Hawks 0-1.

Senior goalkeeper Maria Krull tallied six saves against Lehigh’s seven shots and continued to lead the Patriot League with a .797 save percentage, averaging 9.31 saves per game. Over the past four years, Krull has inched closer to Amanda Dimoizio’s ’16 record for most saves in program history. The Raiders honored their five seniors by celebrating Senior Day. Krull, Sarah DeMarco, Klare, Cady Kopsky and Caroline Schaffer all have had substantial impacts on the field hockey program over their four years at Colgate. Despite it being her first year with the women’s field hockey program, head coach April Cornell had great things to say about this group of seniors, who will always hold a special place in her heart.

“The seniors have left their mark on this program; their belief in what the future of this program is moving toward is far-beyond what I ever could have asked for. They were really the catalyst to keep the rest of this team motivated, they pushed us all season long to believe in the process and the progress we made throughout the season,” Cornell said.

On Sunday, the Raiders took on the Pacific Tigers to conclude the season. The Tigers scored the first goal two minutes into the game as junior forward Kriekie van Wyk fired a penalty corner from the top of the circle, first-year forward Gaby de Kock inserted it, and first-year defender Nthabi Maine stopped it. First-year midfielder Anne Marijn Bruijn answered back for the Raiders off an assist from first-year forward Michaela Corvi. While the Raiders had many other scoring opportunities in the beginning of the game, they were unable to finish any of them. Pacific was able to tally another three goals in the first half, following up with another three goals in the second half, defeating the Raiders 7-1. 

While the Raiders did not come out on top, Krull saved 16 shots in the last game of the season, which tied her for third most saves in a single game this season. This was her eighth double-digit saves performance this season, giving her the fourth most saves in program history. Corvi’s assist also placed her as the first rookie to tally six goals and two assists since 2006. The Raiders finished their season 4-13, which is the team’s most wins in a single season since 2014. 

The Raiders celebrated the end of their season during the Sunday game by hosting its fourth annual chili cook off. Donations and raffle proceeds were donated to the National Pancreas Foundation and pancreatic cancer research.

Contact Lexi Luthringer at lluthringert@colgate.edu.