Lacrosse Unable to Notch Win in Ancient Eight

Though the Columbia lacrosse team may not have had the year it hoped for or anticipated, much of its season can be summed up in these few words: successful out of conference, unsuccessful in conference.

For the third year in a row, the Lions went the entire season without a single Ivy League victory, which means that they have lost 21 consecutive games in the Ancient Eight.
Though they began the season with the goal of winning at least one Ivy League game, their hopes were crushed as they fell in close nailbiters to Harvard, 12-8, and Brown, 11-7, and were routed in games against Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn, and Yale.
However, the Lions did exhibit a lot of impressive play on the turf, principally in out-of-conference games, in which they compiled an impressive 5-3 record. Especially notable were their last two victories over the California, 11-7, and Bucknell, 8-7.

Their record in out-of-league play was consistent with last season's, when the team also finished 5-3. The Light Blue also had several players that improved markedly since last season: Junior attacker Holly Glynn, the team's top scorer, had 44 goals and 11 assists, giving her 55 points on the season, while sophomore Brittany Shannon, the second-highest-scoring Lion, had 35 goals and five assists. Glynn was named to the second-team all-Ivy League, while Shannon and senior Marisa Marcellino were selected as honorable mention all-Ivy players.

Last year's highest scorer was junior midfielder Rachael Ryan, who unfortunately for the Lions had to sit out this season on account of a knee injury.

On a brighter note, the Lions had four players with more than 10 goals on the season, and 10 different players on the team scored goals in at least one game.

The last two games of the season, victories over Cal and Bucknell, should give the Lions the momentum they need to regroup from this season and look forward to next year, when again their sights will be set on attaining a conference victory.

While its four seniors will be missed, the Lions are a young team that has lots of potential for promising future seasons.