Lions set program record for most wins in a season

Columbia’s lacrosse team (8-7, 1-6 Ivy) wanted nothing more than to emerge with a win in its final match of 2009. In order to finish the season with a winning record, the Lions needed to defeat the Bucknell Bison yesterday. Bucknell, with a 9-8 record entering Tuesday, was also in need of a victory to close the season above the .500 mark. In the end, the Light Blue came out on top of its nonconference foe with a 15-14 win.

Bucknell took a prompt 3-1 lead in the first, but Columbia was resilient and responded with four straight goals, including two from Brittany Shannon, to jump ahead 4-3. After the Bison tied the contest at four on a goal from Michelle Milot, senior co-captain Holly Glynn put the Lions back on top with back-to-back scores.

Milot then picked up her second goal of the game, but the one-point margin didn’t last long. Gabrielle Geronimos netted one and, 19 seconds later, Shannon scored to complete her hat trick. Shannon was not content with three, however, and she whipped in her fourth goal of the game with one minute remaining in the first to extend Columbia’s lead to 9-5. Carol Donohue pulled the Bison within three with just half a minute remaining before halftime.

Bucknell got the better of Columbia in the second half, kicking things off with a goal each from Donohue and Milot. The teams proceeded to trade goals until the Bison tied the score at 13.

Last year, Columbia beat Bucknell 8-7 on a clutch goal from Glynn with just under four minutes left in regulation. It felt like déjà vu when Glynn once again stepped up at just the right moment to lead the Lions to victory with two late goals. The first put the Light Blue ahead and the second, scored with 6:27 to go, would prove to be the gamer-winner. With the four-goal performance, Glynn raised her season total to an impressive 45 goals.

Bucknell trailed 15-13 entering the home stretch when Donohue scored her third goal of the game to bring the Bison within one.

Columbia’s defense maintained its composure for the final few minutes of play to cement the win. Lions goalie Emma Mintz was a defensive star as she recorded a crucial save with just three minutes remaining in second half. She racked up 10 total saves on the day.

With the win, the Lions finished their season two games over .500 at 9-7, marking the most wins ever in the program’s history.