Marking its fourth consecutive win, the American University women's lacrosse team took its Patriot League opener at home on Saturday with a 15-10 victory over Colgate.
The Eagles flew onto the field with a dominating presence in the opening minutes of the game, scoring the first two goals of the half with free position shots by senior Caithlin Gorman and junior Jackie Lane. Sophomore Kira Sonberg would contribute with two goals of her own in the half to help put the Eagles up 6-3 with a little over 10 minutes to play.
Although Colgate would score three goals in the half and cause AU to commit 15 turnovers, the Raiders were no match for the Eagles, who would pull away at halftime with an 8-3 lead.
The second half looked to be much of the same, as the Eagles quickly added to their lead when junior Lauren Askionoff scored on an unassisted shot under a minute into play. The Raiders looked a little more lively than in the first, responding with back-to-back goals to bring them within four, the closest the team would come for the rest of the game.
Sonberg continued her impressive play, adding two goals and an assist in the half to bring her total up to team-high five points on the day. She was outdone only by the Raiders' Ashley Didio, who would score five goals and add two assists to finish with a game-high seven points.
The Eagles dominated the field in the team-fueled win, in which eight different players scored. AU held advantages in shots and draw controls, going 29-25 and 7-10, respectively. Junior goalkeeper Kristine Vida finished the day with seven saves and six ground balls.
With the win, AU goes up 5-4 on the season and 1-0 in Patriot League play.
The Eagles next take on defending Patriot League Champion Holy Cross this Saturday in Worcester, Mass. At 12 p.m.
Lacrosse extras: This win marks the first time the Eagles have defeated the Raiders since 2003, the year they won their first PL title.American is 6-0 in league openers since they joined the Patriot League in 2002.The halftime entertainment featured a recognition ceremony for AU's national wrestling champion Josh Glenn, followed by a contest which featured senior Brayden Billbe and junior Brian Gilmore, both members of the AU men's basketball team.
