The confines of Van Doren Field did not prove friendly for the Colgate women’s soccer team, who dropped two games at home this past weekend at the Colgate Nike Invitational.  The Raiders fell to Seton Hall last Friday evening 3-2 and to St. Bonaventure on Sunday afternoon by a 1-0 margin.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Walsh stopped 8 of 12 shots faced throughout the weekend and junior midfielder Madeline Malone obtained a goal and an assist on

Friday night’s contest.

Friday’s match between Colgate and Seton Hall entertained the crowd in attendance with powerful offense displayed by both teams. The Raiders drew first blood when sophomore forward Jillian Kinter scored off a header assisted by Malone at the 15th minute. It would only take three seconds, however, for the Pirates to knot the game at one with a goal by Kaitlyn Rutter.

Seton Hall took the lead at the 33rd minute with a shot from the top of the penalty box by Ashley Clarke. A mere eight minutes later, however, Colgate would tie the game up at two apiece when Malone scored off a penalty kick.  

The second half of the match, when compared to the first, was anticlimactic in the sense that there was only one goal scored and that was not until the end of it. Both teams came out with the intention to obtain the lead and hold it for good, but both goalkeepers stood strong and were successful in keeping the goal closed. In the end, however, the Pirates would prevail, as they scored the final goal of the game in the 87th minute and won the contest by a tight score of 3-2, spoiling the home opener for the defending Patriot League champion.

“The main difference between Colgate and Seton Hall on Friday night was Seton Hall’s ability to capitalize on their opportunities,” Malone said. “I felt that we had more possession and controlled the run of play but the ball just didn’t bounce our way. Maybe with some luck the final score would have been different, but I am confident that our team will use this as a learning experience for future competitions.”

Two days later, on Sunday afternoon, the Raiders took the field in the closing game of their invitational against St. Bonaventure.

This game was completely different from the first one, instead of a high scoring affair, the fans saw a tight match in which the Bonnies took the initiative and continuously attacked the Colgate goal, peppering it with shots until they were finally able to break through in the 30th minute when Courtney Bosse took a shot after dribbling into the box, allowing St. Bonaventure to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room after the first 45 minutes.

The second frame of the contest saw the Raiders take the initiative, attempting with desperation to at least tie the game.

Colgate had several scoring chances throughout the second half, but were unable to put more than a single shot in the net and the game ended with neither team causing damages in the second half and the match ending with a final score of 1-0 in St. Bonaventure’s favor.

“Despite the losses this weekend, we remain positive because there was a lot of good soccer played in both games,” Malone said. “We are building as a team each practice and continuing to work hard day-in and day-out. We have four non-conference games left before Patriot League play starts. We are still committed to winning the Patriot League, hosting the tournament and continuing our season into the NCAA tournament.”

The Raiders will next take the field this coming Sunday when they travel to Burlington, VT to face the University of

Vermont Catamounts.

“We are building on the positives, continuing to play the good possession soccer we are known for, and hoping that our shots find the back of the net,”

Malone said.

The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start.