Lacrosse snaps losing streak with victory over Bryant

It took less than two weeks for Columbia lacrosse to pick up its first five wins. And while it may have felt like the Lions would never manage to win number six, Columbia finally ended up on the right side of the ledger on Saturday, defeating Bryant 19-11 at home to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Light Blue (6-6, 0-5 Ivy) hosted the Bulldogs (3-9) after a winless run in Ivy League play so far, with the most recent loss coming against Yale on April 8. Bryant, a recent arrival to Division I athletics after a long stint in Division II, represented a quick break from conference play for Columbia, and the Lions appeared to enjoy the respite. Columbia notched five of the game’s first eight goals, with Holly Glynn and Lauren Olsen each scoring a pair, to jump out to an early 5-3 lead.

The Bulldogs hung around throughout the first half, with a goal by Mary Green bringing Bryant within one, 5-4. But Glynn and Brittany Shannon responded with a goal each in two minutes, and the Columbia offense stayed strong throughout the opening period, going into the half with a 10-6 lead. Glynn was the offensive star in the first half, scoring four times.

The second half, meanwhile, belonged to Gabrielle Geronimos, as the sophomore from Greenwich, Connecticut, scored four goals in the period. Bryant opened the scoring after the break with an unassisted goal by Delia Glover, but Geronimos responded with her first goal of the game, also unassisted, to put Columbia up 11-7. Two Bryant goals sandwiched a pair of goals by Olsen and Rachael Ryan before Antoinette Lombardi’s free position shot cracked double digits for Bryant and made the score 13-10.

Geronimos, however, all but sealed the win for Columbia by herself, scoring three straight goals to put Columbia up 17-10. After an unassisted goal by Glynn gave the Lions a four-goal cushion, Geronimos converted on three straight, with an unassisted goal and two scores assisted by Shannon and Olsen, respectively. Ryan and Frances Callaghan finished up the scoring for Columbia.

The 19 goals scored represent a season high for the Lions, topping their previous high of 16 set against Marist on March 7. Glynn led all scorers with five goals, with Geronimos adding four. Shannon scored three times to keep her position as the team’s top goal scorer with 33 overall tallies. Glover had four goals to lead the Bulldogs. Emma Mintz and Karlee Blank split time in goal for Columbia, racking up 12 saves total.

The Lions will look to keep the offense rolling as they resume Ivy play at Harvard. Saturday’s game will be the second-to-last of the conference season for the Light Blue.