Box Score

EASTON, Pa. -- In a game that had everything a fan could ask for, the Lafayette women's lacrosse team prevailed on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton, N.Y., completing the comeback with a 14-13 victory over Colgate.

Sophomore Mairead Janzer and senior Maggie Carver were the heroes, linking up for the game-winning goal with 14.8 seconds to play. Carver found Janzer with space in front of goal and she didn't waste the opportunity, slotting it past Colgate goalie Asil Asfour for the 14-13 lead that held through the final draw control.

"This was a great team win with a number of people making significant contributions. Kirsten [Wilhelmsen] handled their face guard very well and Jane [Kirby] and Emma [Novick] battled everything Colgate threw at them to put up points when we needed them," head coach Alison Fisher said. "Taylor Danson's clutch saves kept the momentum in our favor and Charlotte Rath made big plays at key moments. For Maggie and Mairead to show such poise to put the last look away was impressive. Earning a win on the road against an opponent who is perennially tough to beat is a great way to continue a strong start to our conference schedule."

The game featured a wealth of momentum swings and emotions as both teams looked like they would pull away at times. The home side opened strong, scoring six of the first seven goals to take a 6-1 lead with 9:31 left in the opening half. However, Lafayette dug in and stormed back, scoring five straight, including two in the final 12 seconds, to take the game into the break with a tie score at 6-6.

The Leopards opened the second half with a goal to take their first lead of the game, but that sparked a three-goal response from Colgate as the Raiders reclaimed the advantage, 9-7, with 27:06 remaining. Lafayette worked to tie it at 10 with 16:34 to go, but a Raiders tally at 7:21 made it a two-goal cushion again with just 7:21 to play.

The determination never wavered from the Lafayette sideline, though, as back-to-back tallies from sophomore Jane Kirby at 5:42 and 4:16 pulled the Leopards right back in it at 13-13. The majority of the final four minutes went by with each side coughing the ball up to the other, leading to a rarity of scoring chances. But it just took one chance, made by Janzer and Carver at the perfect time, to put Lafayette on top when the buzzer sounded, 14-13.

Kirby and sophomore Emma Novick were excellent on the day scoring three and four goals, respectively, to lead the team. Janzer finished with two and an assist, while senior Kirsten Wilhelmsen, the nation's leader in scoring at 4.38 goals per game, finished with four points on two goals and two assists.

Lafayette used all three of its goalies as freshman Taylor Danson picked up her first collegiate win, making two saves in the final 22:34 of action. Sophomore Allie Abacherli tallied the first 20:29 and junior Anna Raymond made one save in her 16:57 of relief.

The win improves the Maroon and White to 7-3 overall, their best start since a 12-3 mark in 2001. The Leopards are also unbeaten in Patriot League play at 2-0 for the first time since 2003.

Lafayette will look to continue their torrid pace with another important league tilt on Wednesday at Bucknell. Opening draw from Lewisburg, Pa. is set for 7 p.m.