ALBANY, N.Y. — A resilient Columbia field hockey team fended off UAlbany, 3-2, Sunday to remain undefeated on the season. Kelsey Farkas netted the game winner off a penalty stroke in the 45^th minute and goalkeeper Alexa Conomikes made a season-high 11 saves in the win. The Lions (4-0) are off to their best start since 2008 when they started 5-0.
 
Despite being outshot Columbia, 18-7, and the Great Danes (2-4) holding an 11-6 edge in corners, the Lions were capitalized on their scoring opportunities to take a pair of leads. UAlbany knotted things up twice, but each time Columbia came up with a response and held off a furious rally in the final seven minutes of regulation.
 
Conomikes stopped three shots in the final frame and the Great Danes, who generated four corners in the fourth quarter, played with an empty net for the final five minutes, but could not come up with another equalizer.

"We knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game with the way Albany plays," head coach Katie DeSandis said. "It doesn't matter if you're up or down, you have to execute and we did that today. We were ready for any scenario and am proud of the way we handled playing on the road for the first time. The team did an awesome job managing situations throughout the game."
 
"Alexa (Conomikes) was phenomenal anchoring the defense and I thought the entire back line did a good job to keep us organized at the end of the game," she continued. "I'm just really happy for the group and how we executed today."
 
In the first quarter, Conomikes was tested early by the Great Danes and kept the game scoreless with a trio of saves until Columbia's broke through. With 30 seconds left in the period off a corner, an initial shot from Lindsey Yu was blocked and the rebound went to Farkas on the left side of the goal mouth behind the keeper, who somehow got it to Jaimie McCormick in front for an open net goal.
 
UAlbany came out aggressive again in the second and Conomikes was forced to make four more clutch stops. The Great Danes finally broke through after drawing a corner in the 23^rd minute. Allison Smisdom's sixth goal of the year capped a perfectly executed insert and set for UAlbany to tie things at 1-1. However, the Lions answered 23 seconds later to go back on top.
 
Off the restart, Columbia drove down the field and shot by Isabella Collins trickled through the goalkeeper, who stepped up to cut off the angle, as well as a defender, and would up going right to Sophie Rockefeller stationed in front for an easy tap-in to make it 2-1, a score that held until halftime.
 
The Lions had an early opportunity to extend the lead off a great counter attack in the 32^nd minute. After a nice passing sequence Rockefeller had a chance from point-blank range that was kept off the line by UAlbany's Julia Papanicolaou. Columbia did a better job keeping UAlbany on the perimeter in the third quarter, but another corner led to the Great Danes knotting things up again in the 43^rd minute.
 
Lara Mortz tipped in a Smisdom's shot off another set piece for her second of the year to square things at 2-2. However, less than two minutes later the Lions struck again just before the end of the stanza. With 30 seconds left, the Lions were awarded a corner and then UAlbany was called for a foul in the circle, leading to a penalty stroke. Farkas' number was called to the line and sank the try for her fourth score of the year to give Columbia the lead for good.
 
The victory snapped a three-game skid against the Great Danes and was the Lions' first win in Albany since 1996. Columbia has still not trailed in any of its four games this season and have scored in 12-of-16 quarters played.
 
The Lions remain on the road to take on Fairfield on Friday, September 17 at 4 p.m. The game can be seen live on Facebook Live.
 
For the latest on Columbia field hockey, follow @CULionsFH on social media and GoColumbiaLions.com for more updates.