Despite a late-game comeback, the AU women's lacrosse team dropped their first-round Patriot League Tournament match to Colgate, 12-7, at Hart Turf Field in Worcester, Mass.
Down by two with just under 13 minutes to play, the Eagles showed signs of revival with a goal by junior Sarah Milewski to pull AU within one. The comeback stopped there, however, as Colgate went on a 4-0 tear to effectively shut-out the Eagles in the last ten minutes of play.
The Eagles went ahead early on a score by sophomore Jackie Lane, but traded the lead in the first minutes of the half. AU's Danielle Rhinehart tied the game at 2-2 with 16:52 left to play in the first, the last time the Eagles would score in the half. The Raiders followed with a 5-0 run, which put them up 7-2 heading into halftime.
AU charged out into the second with four consecutive goals, two of which were scored by freshman Gina Ibello, to bring the Eagles within one with just over 20 minutes to play. Colgate broke up the run on a score by Kelly Winnings, who had a game-high four goals on the day.
The goal by Milewski kept the game close when her shot brought the score to 8-7, but the Raiders dominated the remaining third of the half with four unanswered goals, bringing the final score to 12-7.
For seniors Moriah Linnell, Kathleen Finnegan, Sarah Mackintosh and Laura Barnes, the match marked the end of their lacrosse careers at AU. Goalkeeper Finnegan had 11 saves on the day, more than her Colgate counterpart, Sue Bielamonwicz, who finished the day with nine. Captain Linnell was able to score one goal in the game, the last of her college career.
Colgate held a 35-18 shot advantage and a 13-8 margin in draw controls. AU committed more fouls and turnovers then the Raiders, holding a respective 15-9, 19-12 advantage over their rivals. The Eagles finished the season with a 6-12 overall record. In addition, Linnell and sophomore Caitlin Bell were named to the Women's Lacrosse First Team All-Patriot League on Friday night to end the 2006 season.
