BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women’s lacrosse team jumped out to a 4-2 halftime, but Colgate responded in a big way in the second half, scoring the first eight goals on its way to handing the Mountain Hawks a 13-7 loss on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Senior Carli Sukonik led the Lehigh offense with four goals while junior Kendall Garden enjoyed a strong game with two groundballs, two caused turnovers, two draw controls and an assist.
“I thought we played a nice first half and did a lot of things that we liked, then I thought Colgate played a much stronger second half and capitalized on a lot of our mistakes,” said Lehigh head coach Jill Redfern. “You get in the hole a little bit, it compounds then they got some fast break goals to pull away.”
Sophomore Allison LaBeau finished with two goals and one assist, having a hand in three of Lehigh’s four first-half goals. Freshman Haley Wentzel scored the Mountain Hawks’ other goal. Lehigh had two goals wiped out following stick checks.
“It’s an unfortunate part of the women’s game with the stick check,” said Redfern. “It’s tough to keep them legal in wet weather, especially with some of the strings we have. As much as we’re trying to keep them pulled tightly, sometimes it happens. I don’t think it was the difference in the game ultimately, but it was an incredible momentum shift that hurt our team.”
LaBeau opened the scoring just a minute and a half into the game. After Colgate pulled even, LaBeau’s second goal followed by a LaBeau dish to Sukonik made it 3-1 Mountain Hawks with 17:40 left in the first half.
The teams traded goals the remainder of the half as a freshman connection, Kierstyn Voiro to Wentzel made it 4-2 Lehigh with 9:28 on the clock, which proved to be the halftime score.
The Raiders immediately gained momentum in the second half as Colgate evened the score within the first 2:39. Ark scored her third of four goals with 23:15 remaining to give her team a 5-4 lead. Colgate wouldn’t trail the rest of the game.
The lead eventually reached six at 10-4, then the teams traded goals the rest of the half, including two goals from Sukonik, for the 13-7 final.
Final shots were 24-22 in favor of the Mountain Hawks while Lehigh held a 15-11 edge in groundballs. Colgate held a 12-10 advantage in draw controls, including 10-5 in the second half. Raiders’ goalie Jennie Berglin finished with nine saves while Lehigh sophomore Taylor Tvedt posted five before being relieved late in the game by freshman Elizabeth Nussbaum, who made one stop.
“We need to play two quality halves in order to win,” said Redfern. “All of our players need to own their roles and put forth a little more execution throughout the entire game.”
The Mountain Hawks will hit the road next Wednesday (Mar. 18) when they make the short trek to Easton to face archrival Lafayette. Opening draw is set for 7:30 p.m.
Like Lehigh Women’s Lacrosse on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive content, team updates and more.
In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.
Oliver Marti: Starting an NLL Team in Albany and Investing in the PLL and Epoch Lacrosse (Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast #130)
byPro Lacrosse Talk
On this episode of the Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast, Hutton Jackson and Adam Moore are joined by three-time All-American at Brown University, investor in the PLL, and the newest NLL owner Oliver Marti. He discusses moving the New England Black Wolves franchise to Albany, New York, why the city of Albany was chosen and share his thoughts on the team’s potential new identity. He also discusses his time playing for Dom Starsia at Brown University, playing for the New York Saints in the MILL, starting the Connecticut Box Lacrosse League, investing in the Premier Lacrosse League and equipment manufacturer Epoch Lacrosse, and his opinion on the current state of pro lacrosse.
—
Pro Lacrosse Talk is the flagship lacrosse podcast of the Lacrosse Playground network covering all three professional lacrosse leagues (NLL, PLL, Athletes Unlimited). Each week throughout the season we’ll recap the games, provide analysis on the teams and feature exclusive postgame and off-the-field interviews with professional lacrosse players, coaches and executives. If you’re a fan of lacrosse podcasts like the Unbuckled Chinstrap, The Inside Feed, Lacrosse Classified or The Crease Dive, then give us a listen.