The women’s field hockey team opened their season with an exciting overtime victory against the Bryant Bulldogs Friday, August 26. Senior attack Emily Brash scored the game-winning goal in overtime for a final score of 1-0; this goal marked the seventh career goal and second game-winning goal for Brash.

Junior midfielder Cady Kopsky assisted Brash, sending a successful pass to Brash, who rushed the goal, with the ball finding its way to the back of the net. Junior goalie Maria Krull, who was named to the Patriot League Preseason All-League Team, played an impressive game, making seven saves that greatly assisted the Raider’s in their win; her most impressive save came in the latter half of the second half where she made a game changing stick save.

Junior attacker Sarah Demarco reflected on the team’s preseason. 

“We worked really hard this preseason, both mentally and physically. A lot of our goals for the season include being aggressive on the ball and setting the tone of the game from the first pass. Friday was insanely rewarding, especially through over time.” 

“[It was] an electrifying night,” junior midfielder Caroline Schaefer said.

“It feels amazing. It was completely a team effort. Everyone out there was hungry for a win,” Brash said. 

This win was made all the sweeter by the fact that it was the Lady Raider’s first win since October 24, 2014, which was a 5-2 win against Siena. The game additionally marked Colgate’s first shutout since September 27, 2014, when they won against the Lafayette Leopards.

“Jena [Cacciatore] and I couldn’t be prouder of the kids,” head coach Cathy Foto said. 

“It was a great team effort. We really pushed the kids throughout preseason and everyday we threw something more at them, mentally more so than physically. I think they rose up to the challenge. It’s been a long time since we had a win here at Tyler’s Field so to do it in dramatic fashion was really exciting,” Coach Foto said. 

The Raiders faced a disheartening loss against national powerhouse Hofstra by a score of 7-0 Saturday, August 28 following their incredible victory the previous day. Krull did her best to slow Hofstra by

making a season high ten saves. Hofstra ended the first half with a three-goal lead and scored four more in the following half, with junior midfielder Molly Klare making a defensive save. 

Brash nearly scored a goal in the final minutes of the second half, narrowly missing to seal Hofstra’s 7-0 victory. Hofstra recorded 18 shots on goal while

Colgate only managed one. The Raiders will attempt to redeem themselves next week on Thursday, September 1, when they face the Siena Saints for a home match at Tyler’s Field, followed by a match against Cornell University on the road in Ithaca, NY. 

The team hopes to build upon their strong start to the 2017 campaign.