The Columbia lacrosse team traveled to Philadelphia to face La Salle on Wednesday. The Lions won their third straight contest, defeating the Explorers 10-9 after two overtime periods. The two teams were even all game, trading goals until the second overtime when Columbia was able to pull away with the win.
The Light Blue was the first to get on the scoreboard, thanks to a goal by Brittany Shannon on a free position shot. La Salle responded three minutes later with a goal by Ashley Rutz, assisted by Nora McGurkin. The Explorers would take the lead, 2-1, three minutes later off an unassisted goal by Jill Davis. Columbia was able to tie the game at two with a goal by Holly Glynn, her first of the night. However, La Salle quickly responded with two goals by McGurkin and Davis. McGurkin would finish with one goal and two assists for the night. After another three minutes, Columbia’s Lauren Olsen scored her only goal of the night, only to have La Salle’s Stefany McKee fire a shot into the net a minute later. Down 5-3 with just under four minutes left in the half, Shannon and Glynn would score back-to-back goals to tie the game up at five going into halftime.
Glynn would start the second period off on the right foot, scoring an early goal, assisted by Gabrielle Geronimos. For the rest of the second period, Columbia and La Salle would trade off goals, with La Salle tying the game at eight with a goal from Sara Ciavarelli.
With the score tied at eight, the two teams headed into overtime, only to continue to trade off goals. La Salle’s Davis score the first goal of the first overtime, giving the Explorers the 9-8 lead. However, with 24 seconds left in the first overtime, Columbia’s Glynn scored a clutch goal off a Lizzie Lee assist. With the score tied at nine, the game headed into double overtime.
The second overtime was dominated by Glynn, as she scored the winning goal with 2:11 left in the period. The Lions’ defense would buckle down for the final two minutes, capturing the win. Glynn finished with five goals on 10 shots on goal. Columbia goaltender Emma Mintz played all 66 minutes and finished with 11 saves.
The Columbia lacrosse team will have a few days to rest and prepare for its next game against Dartmouth on Sunday, April 26.