Seesaw Battle in Patriot League Opener
Wiomen’s Lax Falls Just Shy at Holy Cross
By Matt Faulkner
(Worcester, Mass. – March 8, 2014) The Raiders and Holy Cross combined for five ties and four lead changes, but it was the Crusaders who had the 10-9 lead at the buzzer.
These two programs have now played one-goal games in their last four meetings.
Colgate (1-5, 0-1 PL) was led by Megan Ark once again as she scored at least three goals in the third-consecutive game. Taylor Fischer netted a pair of goals in the loss, along with three ground balls and a career-high four caused turnovers.
“Taylor was a work horse on the ride today,” head coach Heather Young said. “She up with clutch turnovers for us and was absolutely relentless.”
The defense forced the Crusaders into 15 turnovers. Other than Fischer’s four caused turnovers, Emily Speck had three and Kristen Norden added two. Sarah Bowles also had good game for the Raiders with a goal and four draw controls. Jennie Berglin was part of that defense and she made seven saves with five coming in the first 30 minutes.
“Speck was solid for us all day long and she took risks on defense,” Young said. “She played outside her comfort zone and did everything we asked her to do. The coaching staff and I are very proud of her effort.”
Holy Cross (3-4, 1-0 PL) won its third-straight game thanks to three goals from Margie Smith and four points from Laura Ryan, who posted two goals and two helpers. Sara Hennessey recorded three points with two goals, including the gamewinner, along with an assist.
Sarah Weber stopped 12 shots by the Raiders with six in each period. She made three of those saves after her team gained the 10-9 lead.
Colgate got off to a great start in the first few minutes with three-straight scores to begin the game with a 3-0 advantage. Two of the goals came from Fischer. She posted one on a free-position shot, while the second was a nice individual effort. Ark pushed the lead to three with another free-position tally.
The Crusaders were not fazed by the early run and answered with a three-goal run of their own. Kate Martino put Holy Cross on the board at the 16:21 left in the first half. Smith and Avery Giorgio recorded back-to-back goals to tie the game at 3-3 with 15:29 left.
Jenna Frost stopped the bleeding with her second of the season as she tallied Colgate’s third free-position goal. Holy Cross closed out the scoring with three goals in the final 7:25 to take the 6-4 lead into halftime.
The home team continued the momentum into the opening minute with a goal coming 20 seconds in. The Crusaders saw Martino score her second of the day with Tess MacKay getting the assist.
The Raiders responded with another three-goal run for the second time in the game. Murray posted the first of the run and then assisted on Bowles’ fifth of the year, which cut the led to 7-6 with 26:07 left in the second half. Lauren Gorajek completed the run with a free-position goal under a minute later to tie the game at 7-7.
The game was tied two more times after that. Ark scored to tie the game at 8-8 with 14:09 remaining and then gave the Raiders their first lead since 4-3 late in the first half. She completed the hat trick with a great shot off a nice feed from Alison Flood.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, that was the last they saw of the scoreboard. Ryan shot a laser to the upper right corner past Berglin to tie the game at 9-9 and then Hennessey used her speed with 6:31 remaining to put the home team up for good a 10-9.
Colgate forced the Crusaders into six failed clears with four of those coming in the second half. Draw controls hurt the Raiders as Holy Cross had a 14-7 advantage. Colgate won the shot battle at 26-22, but went 4-for-10 on free-position attempts.
The Raiders are back in action next Saturday with Lehigh coming to Hamilton for a 1 p.m. start.
Vaughn Now 11th in Career Hits
Raiders Fall Twice In Second Day of UCF Tournament
By Kat Castner
(Orland, Fla. – March 8, 2014) Senior Tera Vaughn had a solid outing for Colgate on Saturday but couldn’t help spark a victory as the Raiders’ dropped two games to Western Carolina and host Central Florida.
Vaughn went 3-for-5 on the day, while notching two RBI. With her top performance in the games, Vaughn now sits 11th in program history with 148 career hits.
Colgate (1-8) dropped its opening game of the day 4-2 to Western Carolina despite holding a 2-1 lead for much of the game.
“In the first game we had a mental lapse in the fourth inning and it cost us,” head coach Melissa Finley said. “Gillian (Murray) and Megan (Carnase) combined to throw a great game and again we failed to support them on offense and defense. We got off to a great start but just weren’t able to maintain it.
“I was very happy to see Tera (Vaughn) make some adjustments at the plate and have a great game, we just need more people to step up.”
Then 30 minutes after the ending of their first game, the Raiders were back on the field facing Central Florida. Despite a strong pitching performance from Brigit Ieuter, Colgate fell 2-0.
“Brigit (Ieuter) was once again robbed of a win with her performance on the mound,” Finley said. “We did a good job battling and making adjustments every time we went through the order but in the end we came up short.
“We aren’t going to win very many ball games until we start driving the ball with some authority and play with confidence.”
In game one, rookie Katie Bushee got the Raiders going when she earned a walk to start the game. On the ensuing play, Haley Fleming was hit-by-a-pitch to place two runners on base for Colgate. Then with one out, Jennifer Martin singled through the left side to advance the base runners into scoring position. The Catamounts recorded one more out, before Vaughn singled to bring home Bushee and Fleming, for the 2-0 Raider advantage.
Western Carolina was able to cut Colgate’s lead in the bottom half of the first, when Amelia Griffin singled. After a walk and another single to load the bases, the Catamounts hit a sacrifice fly to score Griffin, making it 2-1 game.
In the top of the third, Colgate was knocking on the door again with two runners on, after singles from Marisa Dowling and Vaughn, but the Raiders were unable to convert on the opportunity.
The Catamounts had a big fourth inning, grabbing four runs to take over the lead at 4-2.
Colgate then saw Vaughn single and steal second in the top of the sixth with one out, but the Raiders could not string together the needed hits, leaving her stranded and ultimately dropping the contest.
Gillian Murray pitched four innings for the Raiders, allowing six hits and four runs. Megan Carnase came in for relief going two innings giving up just one hit.
In the nightcap, the Knights scored a run in the bottom of the first to take the early 1-0 edge.
Both pitchers threw one, two, three innings in the second and third before Colgate recorded its first hit of the game in the top of the fourth, thanks to a two-out single from Dowling. On the next at bat, however, Colgate grounded out to the pitcher to leave the sophomore stranded.
UCF added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, which proved too be too much for the Raiders as they couldn’t close the deficit in the remaining innings.
Ieuter allowed just two runs during her six innings, while throwing 89 strikes in the contest.
Defense Shines in Raiders’ 7-5 Win
Another Strong Second Half Lifts Colgate Past Boston University
By John Painter
(Boston – March 8, 2014) Colgate’s defense is on a roll and picking up steam.
The Raiders stood firm in front of the goal when it counted here Saturday and picked up their first road victory of the season, 7-5 over a feisty Boston University squad.
“As stagnant as our offense was early on, we really needed our defense to step up,” Colgate head coach Mike Murphy said. “If it was going to be a one-goal game, we needed them to score one fewer goal than we did.
“Any time you’re on the road in the Patriot League, it’s going to be a battle.”
Colgate found that out from the start when its two early goals did little to deter BU’s first-year varsity program. Brendon McCann and Kevin Adams put the Raiders on top 2-1 in the first 5½ minutes, but the Terriers soon tied it and then a stalemate took hold.
Lengthy Scoring Slide
The last 4:34 of the first quarter and the entire second quarter went scoreless, leaving the halftime tied at 2-2. Boston U. scored with 9:01 left in the third for a 3-2 lead, but Colgate finally answered when Matt Clarkson fired hard and high with 5:42 showing in the same period. Credit Eric Foote with the assist that drew the Raiders even.
“We finally got the offense going and moved the ball a couple of times to the backside,” Clarkson said. “Eric threw it over the top and I just went high. The scouting report was the kid was good low, so we had to bring it high on him.”
For the Raiders, the scoring drought had stretched 33 minutes and 49 seconds. And yet when Clarkson found goal, it was 3-3 thanks to Colgate scintillating and stifling defenders.
“Our job as a defense is to always keep our team in a position to win,” said Boyle, who caused three turnovers and picked up four ground balls. “I’m really proud of the guys underneath – Bobby Lawrence, John Baker, Leo Stouros and Brandon Burke did a great job and made our job easier as defensive midfielders.
“When they can pretty much neutralize the attack, it helps us a lot.”
Lawrence tied his career high with five caused turnovers to go with five ground balls. The senior leads the team with 13 caused turnovers for the season.
“It’s a few games in now and we’re starting to get some chemistry on defense,” Lawrence said. “Everybody’s playing really well. They’re upping their game, talking really well, communicating and putting the ball on the ground. Hopefully, we can just keep it going.
“We’re starting to get more comfortable with our stick-checks, when to double and when not to, when to slide and when not to – and that all just forces turnovers.”
Clearing Also Precise
Colgate pestered Boston University into 18 turnovers, nine each half. And the Raiders cleared the ball 19 times in 20 opportunities. Finally over the game’s last 20 minutes, Colgate’s offense found life.
McCann and Clarkson scored their second goals of the game to end the third quarter and start the fourth, pushing the Raiders in front 5-3 with 13:06remaining. Clarkson’s goal was a lucky carom off his stick as Ryan Walsh was trying to find him in the slot.
“It bounced off my stick and I got lucky,” Clarkson said. “They had one just like it (first period), so we got one back. I’d rather be lucky than good, I guess.”
The Terriers drew one back but then Colgate answered with two more as Walsh and Danny LaCrosse found the net to make it 7-4 with 5:41 left. Colgate held on from there despite a fifth goal of the game by Boston University’s Ryan Johnston.
“I’m very proud of our two senior captains,” Murphy said. “Kevin Boyle and Bobby Lawrence really set the tone, Brandon made some huge saves and our two young guys, Leo Stouros and John Baker, are playing better.
“It’s unfortunate that their guy, No. 45 (Johnston), is John’s cover. He scored all of their goals, but I’m not sure some of those were John’s fault. John played well and our close defense as a whole played well.”
Colgate had the edge in shots by 32-21, and groundballs by 26-21. The Raiders committed 14 turnovers to BU’s 18, but faceoffs went to the Terriers by a 10-5 count. Colgate with an extra man was 1-of-8 and Boston University 2-of-4.
Burke finished with seven saves in goal for the Raiders and allowed just three even-strength goals. The freshman entered the game leading the Patriot League in both save percentage and goals-against average.
Colgate assists went to Boyle, Walsh, Foote and Alex Kinnealey. Walsh, as mentioned, scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season and extended his active point-scoring streak to 39 games – fourth-best in the nation.
Thank the Defense
McCann’s two goals moved him to second on the team with 13 points to 19 for Walsh.
“You’ve just got to thank the defense on days like today when you go through that,” McCann said. “Burke was great in net and our whole D – they were animals out there. When you get as many caused turnovers and play as well as they did, it’s not that hard to put enough on the board.
“But we’ve just got to be able to start sooner than we have been. We’ve got to put together a full 60 minutes.”
Murphy agrees and knows the Raiders were perhaps a little lucky to leaveBoston 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League.
“BU’s Ryan Polley is doing a good job with his kids, and we’re fortunate to leave here with a victory,” he said. “We’ve got to find some answers offensively. Sometimes you’ve got to shoot the scouting report. We’ve got smart guys and we as coaches are trying to give them the answers to the test, so they’ve got to understand what we’re trying to do as a staff.
“We’ve got to really buckle down offensively and continue to turn the screws defensively.”
Boston University drops to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Upcoming for the Raiders is another Central New York rivalry, next Saturday at Binghamton. Start time is 1 p.m.