The women’s soccer team opened their season by hosting the Louisiana State University Tigers at Beyer-Small ’76 Field. Despite the Raiders’ impressive offensive effort, the visiting team triumphed over Colgate, with the final score reading 3-0. Following the disappointing loss, the Raiders’ record now stands at 0-1-0, while LSU’s record improved to 2-0-0.

“Overall, we saw some great things to build on when we look at what we were able to do in game one of this young season with this young team. We’ll take it and get ourselves ready to go for next weekend,” Head Coach Kathy Brawn said.

The Raiders initially came out strong, putting several shots on goal throughout the first half. In the ninth minute of the first period, LSU senior forward Nicole Howard scored her first goal of the season, shooting from the center of the box to the left side of the net. The goal was assisted by first-year forward Tinaya Alexander. Following this goal, the teams remained head-to-head for the remainder of the period, and the halftime score was 1-0.

However, the Tigers entered the second half eager to increase their lead over the home team, and were able to clinch another goal just seven minutes into the half, which moved the score to 2-0. Junior forward Alex Thomas snagged her first goal of the season thanks to assists from senior midfielder Zoe Higgins and first-year defender Lucy Parker. About 15 minutes later, LSU scored yet another goal when first-year midfielder Tiana Caffey assisted Higgins, who scored her second goal of the season. This would be the final goal of the game.

Although they were unable to get on the scoreboard, the Raiders battled fiercely and put several shots on goal. Colgate outshot the visiting team 25-17, with twelve of those shots coming in the first half. However, LSU junior goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier put forth an impressive performance and had twelve saves throughout the contest. The Raiders generated several strong scoring opportunities in their offensive efforts, including a play at the fourteenth minute mark when a header from sophomore defender Leah Lewis dribbled just wide of the net. 

The Raiders also came close to scoring early in the second half when Colgate senior midfielder Eliza Doll sent a free-kick from the 18-yard box toward the net, which was ultimately blocked by Brockmeier. Other notable achievements from the Raiders included first-year forward Ellis Miller’s five shots, and sophomore defender Dom DeMarco’s three shots on goal. Additionally, sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Chiavaro curbed the offensive power of the Tigers by making several saves, including a diving save in the first half. Overall, 10 different Raiders were able to get shots off, and the home team maintained a 12-8 shot-on-goal advantage throughout the game. 

“I thought there was some fantastic ball movement out there and we created some terrific finishing opportunities early. Their keeper really rose to the occasion a few times and we just missed the mark a couple of other times. We have some good things to build on going forward,” Brawn said.

Following this tough loss, the Raiders hit the road for a Sunday game against Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi, which will be followed by a midweek match-up against Syracuse University, where they will hope to improve their record.

Contact Victoria Holt [email protected].