NEW YORK — A four goal outburst in the third quarter guided the Columbia field hockey team to a 7-1 win over Davidson in its first game in 664 days Friday night. The Lions, who had five different goal scorers, were led by Kelsey Farkas (two goals, one assists) and first-year Sophie Rockefeller (goal, two assists).

Columbia's energy was evident from the start and built momentum off of early penalty corners to seize control of the contest. Four of the Lions' scores were off set pieces in some fashion. For the game, Columbia held a 15-6 edge in shots and posted nine on target.
 
The victory also marked the first career victory for Katie DeSandis '13CC.
 
Eight minutes in, Columbia drew the first chance after drawing a penalty corner. Farkas inserted the ball to Rockefeller at the top of the circle, who briefly mishandled the pass, but was able to settle it down and get a shot off that was redirected in by Jaimie McCormick in front of the Wildcats' (1-2) goalkeeper to give the Lions an early advantage.
 
The Lions doubled the lead just before the end of the first quarter on more conventional execution off a corner. Maya Walker took the set piece, stopped it for Brooke Gasser, which drew the defense out allowing a shuffle pass to Lindsey Yu on the left wing. Yu fired a blast that connected with the far side of the cage with six seconds before time expired.
 
Davidson was held without a shot for the first 22 minutes of the game before they were able to apply some pressure and cut the deficit in half in the 23^rd minute. Susannah Armstrong drove to the goal line on the left side and centered it to Grayson Buben to make it 2-1 from point-blank range.
 
In the third quarter, Columbia went right back to work. A nice passing sequence started by Gasser in the attacking zone. Ellie Decker played a touch-pass to Anabelle Brodeur, which led to a give-and-go with Rockefeller, and Brodeur put one under the goalie's foot to restore the two-goal cushion in the 34^th minute.
 
Moments later, the Lions were awarded a penalty stroke that Farkas buried to extend the margin to 4-1. Walker's first career tally in the 39^th minute came off strong individual work down the left side and a nifty shot from a sharp angle. With 3:51 left in the third, Farkas charged to the net after a corner and tipped in Gasser's pass for her second of the night.
 
Rockefeller capped the scoring in the fourth quarter on a traditional setup off a penalty corner. It was Farkas again starting things off with a feed to Elizabeth Brissette, leading to a rocket to give the first-year five points in her debut. Brisette's assist also marked her first career point.
 
In goal, Alexa Conomikes only needed to make two stops to pick up the win (1-0).
 
A total of 11 Lions (six sophomores, five first-years) made their first career appearances in the contest. The six-goal triumph was the largest margin of victory in a season opener in program history and biggest margin since an 8-1 win over LIU in 2016.
 
The Lions are back in action Sunday, September 5, when they welcome Quinnipiac to the Baker Athletics Complex for a noon contest. Fans attending the game must adhere to all Columbia Athletics' and University COVID-19 protocols. can catch all the action on ESPN+. The match can also be seen live on ESPN+.
 
For the latest on Columbia field hockey, follow @CULionsFH on social media and GoColumbiaLions.com for more updates.