Last week the women took to the ice for the first time this season as they traveled up the road to Syracuse to take on the Orange in their season debut. While the Raiders saw first-year forward Breanne Wilson-Bennett record her first

collegiate goal, Colgate fell to Syracuse 2-1.

While the first period was scoreless, the Raiders saw some great opportunities on the power play. Senior forward Taylor Craig, who recorded two shots on goal on the night, had a chance but was stopped by the Orange goaltender

Jenn Gilligan. 

It wasn’t until the second period that the Orange broke through. With just under five minutes remaining, Eleanor Haines put the puck past junior goalie Ashlynne Rando for the lead. Rando, who was great in net all night making 27 saves, allowed the goal to slip past her and give the Orange the lead. 

The remainder of the second period was scoreless and in the pivotal third period, the Orange struck first again. While on a breakaway just six minutes into the third frame, Rando appeared to make the stop with her left shoulder, but the puck trickled past her to put the Orange in the

lead, 2-0. 

Down in a hole, however, the Raiders looked to make a comeback. Their comeback began under three minutes later when junior defender Nicole Gass’ shot was initially saved by the Orange. However, Wilson-Bennett was right there in front of the net and coralled the puck to put it past the Orange keeper for her first goal of the season. 

The Raiders had trimmed the lead down to 2-1 and sought the equalizer over the final ten minutes, but the strong Orange defense held the Raiders to the one goal. A power play for the Raiders late in the third period yielded a chance to tie but they were unable to register a shot

on goal. 

Additionally, the Raiders pulled Rando in the final minutes in a last-ditch effort to tie up the score, but they could not get past the Orange defense. As the final horn sounded, Colgate had lost to Syracuse 2-1 despite a valiant effort.

The Raiders recorded 21 shots on goal in the game, with Wilson-Bennett, fellow first-year forward Annika Zalewski and senior captain Miriam Drubel all tied for a team-high three shots. In the faceoff circle, Craig led the Raiders, winning 14 draws while only losing six.

With the opening game loss, the Raiders look to bounce back this coming weekend when they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Robert Morris for two matchups. The following weekend, the Raiders play their first homestand of the season when they host University of Connecticut and Providence University at Starr Rink.

This season, the Raiders were projected to finish eighth in the ECAC, a finish that would be a considerable improvement over last year’s 10th place finish. Returning 15 players helps the Raiders battle a tough schedule, one that includes matchups against the defending National Champions in Clarkson as well as ranked opponents in Rensselaer, Union

and Brown.