Posted by Katie Peverada
In a Tuesday evening non-conference game, the Skidmore women's lacrosse team ran into the irrepressible Hamilton College Continentals, who used 10-second half goals to earn the 15-7 win. The loss dropped Skidmore College to 1-5 overall and moved Hamilton to 3-3.
Hamilton used a simple strategy of driving towards the net to quickly jump out to a 2-0 lead. Taylor Ryan got things started for the Continentals just 57 seconds into the game when she received a pass in the middle of the box and bounced the ball past Skidmore goalie Megan Kolopsky '17. Hamilton continued to pressure the Skidmore defense, making several drives and cuts directly at the net but was unable to find the back of the net.
Kolopsky came up big twice in 30 seconds, first making a big save on a close-range shot and then answering again by controlling the rebound off of a save. Finally, Margaret Gabriel was able to drive the net and get off a clean shot to make it 2-0 at the 24:26 mark.
Spencer Morgan '15 was able to make it 2-1 a couple of minutes later after the Thoroughbreds were able to control the ball, working it low around the net before feeding Morgan in the circle.
Hamilton regained the two-goal lead after Kathryn Maiorano netted the first of her five goals off of a close-range shot.
But Skidmore proved resilient, as just a minute later Morgan netted her second of the game with a shot from just off the right post.
The teams went on to trade goals, but neither was able to cleanly pull away amidst the back-and-forth play. Katie D'Antonio netted the first of three goals to once again give Hamilton a two-goal lead that would turn into a three-goal lead with five minutes to go in the first half. But Skidmore was able to score two goals before time expired, as Tyler Phillips '17 and Peggy Healy '15 pulled the team within one and seized the momentum heading into the second half.
Skidmore continued their scoring streak just 40 seconds into the second half when Continental goalie Kari Koga bobbled Phillips's shot and the ball trickled over the goal line to tie the score at 5-5. Unfortunately, that would be as close at the Thoroughbreds would get to holding the lead, as the Hamilton offense began to pour it on five minutes later.
Hamilton scored four straight times to make it 9-5 before Skidmore was able to find the back of the net again when Phillips scored her second of the half. The Continentals once again scored four unanswered goals to squash Skidmore's momentum, but Phillips netted her third goal of the half and fourth of the day at the 7:14 mark to make it 13-7.
Hamilton ended the game the way they started it: by netting two goals, putting the final score at 15-7.
Despite the loss, the Thoroughbreds were able to control the draws, 15-9, and had a solid 19 groundballs to Hamilton's 22. Hamilton, though, outshot Skidmore 30-13, with 23 Continental shots finding their way to the net.
Kolopsky played all 60 minutes in net, making eight saves, while across the field Koga registered six.
Tyler Phillips led Skidmore in scoring with five points (4G, 1A), Spencer Morgan added two goals and Peggy Healy had one.
Skidmore will hit the road on Friday, March 28 to take on Vassar College at 4 p.m.