Lacrosse Defeats American in Final Test Before Break

The Columbia lacrosse team fought back in the second half of its match to defeat American by a final score of 9-6 on Tuesday. The home win improves the Lions’ record to a perfect 5-0 good enough for the team’s best start in school history.

The Eagles jumped all over Columbia early, scoring their first goal at 16:30 in the first period. American’s Lauren Schoenberger tallied the unassisted goal after entering early off the sidelines. Just under six minutes later, American added another goal as Amanda Makoid put one into the back of the net. The Lions responded with two quick strikes in the span of two minutes. Columbia’s Lizzie Lee scored the team’s first goal at 9:31, and Rachael Ryan scored the second at 8:37, assisted by Lauren Olsen. After a short offensive drought for both sides, American scored its third goal of the period, again thanks to Makoid. The Eagles headed into halftime with a 3-2 lead.

The second period of play would prove to be significantly more exciting as Columbia’s offense picked up the pace. The Light Blue’s Brittany Shannon scored right out of the gate. But Columbia followed up the quick goal with questionable defense as the Eagles scored twice in less than 30 seconds of play. With the score standing at 5-3 American, Columbia dug deep and responded with a flurry of four straight goals. Ryan scored the first with an assist by Olsen, then Holly Glynn had a goal, followed by scores from Gabrielle Geronimos and Glynn again. The offensive barrage quickly turned the game around and gave Columbia a 7-5 lead. American attempted to regain control with a goal by Leslie Fischer, but Columbia would score twice more, putting the game out of American’s reach. Glynn hit the hat trick at 7:40 in the second period, and Geronimos scored her second of the day at 2:14. Glynn’s three goals and three points overall moved her into first in all-time career points at Columbia. She also broke the record for goals in a career.

Columbia’s goaltender, Emma Mintz, played all 60 minutes, making four saves in the competition. American had more saves than Columbia at the end of the day, but that can be attributed to Columbia’s significant advantage in total shots. Columbia outshot America 26-14, which meant a lot of work for American’s goaltender Frankie Solomon.

At 5-0, Columbia will try to continue their winning streak throughout spring break, starting this Saturday in a home matchup against Cornell. Over the academic holiday, the Lions will also have a game against Lehigh on Wednesday, March 18th.