The Colgate field hockey team struggled in its two games this weekend. Entering the road trip with a 1-3 record, the team was shutout on Saturday, losing 6-0 to Yale and fell 2-1 on Sunday against Quinnipiac. This brings the Raiders’ record to 1-5.

On Saturday, the Yale Bulldogs scored their first goal eight minutes into the game, securing an early lead which they would never relinquish. Two more goals, scored within four minutes of each other, added to the Yale lead of 3-0 at the half.

Senior captain and goalie Kirsten Lalli made seven stops in the first half. For the final 35 minutes, Yale continued to outpace Colgate in shots taken, pushing three more goals across the board. With a 36-5 shot advantage at the close of the game, Yale moved their season record to 3-0.

Despite the tough loss, the game against Yale highlighted one of Colgate’s bright spots: Lalli’s performance in goal this season. After being named Patriot League Goalie of the Week for the second time in a row, Lalli had her third game with a double-digit save total against Yale, racking up 18. She is the first Colgate athlete to receive this honor in back-to-back weeks.

“Kirsten Lalli is exceeding all or our expectations,” Head Coach Cathy Foto praised. “It should come as no surprise since she worked hard this summer to come back in the best shape ever. She worked at a camp and has a tremendous work ethic. She is very confident in the goal and as we progress as a team her play will be the difference. By the time we get to league play we hope to be doing a better job in front of her and limit the number of shots she has to face.”

In the game against Quinnipiac, Lalli earned 10 saves. Although it was not enough to secure a win, the team played a good game, keeping the contest close. With only 4:11 left in the first half, sophomore Adriana Libutti netted her second goal of the season, giving Colgate a 1-0 advantage at the half.

As the game continued into the second half, Quinnipiac tied the score with a goal with 16:40 remaining. They seized the lead with 9:02 remaining on a penalty corner. Quinnipiac ended the game leading the Raiders 12-3 in shots.

“We definitely played a much better game against Quinnipiac,” Lalli said. “We scored first, and though we lost we were far more aggressive than we have been, stayed organized defensively and possessed the ball a lot better.”

Despite these bright spots, Lalli admits there is room for improvement.

“The game against Yale definitely could have been better, but we showed in the game with Quinnipiac that we are capable of playing at a higher level,” Lalli added.

Coach Foto echoed Lalli’s sentiments, emphasizing her team’s improvement.

“Each game we have played we have played a little differently,” Coach Foto said. “We are still moving people around to find the right combination. On Sunday we got the most consistent team effort we have seen so far this season. We are learning from each game we play and Sunday was a good indication of what we can do when we are all on the same page. We led the game for a good portion of time and reached a lot of our goals for the game. I am sure more wins are just

around the corner.”

This coming weekend, the team will take on Lock Haven and St. Francis of Pennsylvania. Both contests will be played on the road.