Lacrosse swept in Ivy matches, rebounds against nonconference foe Stony Brook

During spring break, the women’s lacrosse team participated in three competitions, two of which were against Ivy League rivals Cornell and Dartmouth on Wednesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 17. The team’s most recent match was on Saturday,when the Light Blue hit the road to compete against Stony Brook. Out of the three games, Columbia lost to Cornell in a close match, 7-9, and to Dartmouth 1-15, but was able to claim the win over Stony Brook 15-13.

In their match against Cornell, the Lions were slow to start scoring, allowing the Big Red to take a 3-0 lead at the beginning. However, they quickly caught up by scoring three goals of their own and tying the game 3-3. By the half, the Lions were down by one goal and were unable to bounce back from Cornell’s three-goal streak late in the game. In the Cornell match, goalie Karlee Blank had 12 saves for Columbia, while Taylor Gattinella, Sarah Avallone, and Kacie Johnson each scored a pair of goals.

A week later, the Lions faced off against No. 16 Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. Just 10 minutes into the game, the Big Green had a 6-0 lead, and although the Lions stepped up on defense for the rest of the half, the score was 7-0 by halftime. The second half saw another six-goal surge by Dartmouth, and Gattinella scored the Lions’ lone goal. The Big Green answered with two additional goals, bringing the final score to 15-1.

On Saturday, it was Columbia that took the lead over Stony Brook, setting the tone by scoring before even one minute had run down on the clock. The goal was scored by freshman Olivia Mann, marking the first goal of her collegiate career. After Stony Brook tied the game 1-1, the Lions went on to secure the lead again and held this advantage throughout the rest of the match. Columbia dominated the Seawolves 7-4 heading into halftime and held on to claim the win 15-13. Senior Brittany Shannon, Garrinella, and Mann each had a hat trick in Columbia’s victory.

After this past week’s competitions, Columbia’s overall record is now 3-2 (0-2 Ivy). The Lions will compete against No. 13 Princeton on March 24 at Baker Field. The match will begin at 7 p.m.