NEW YORK -- The Columbia lacrosse team (3-4) took the field on a windy and snowy afternoon in New York City for a Tuesday matinee against non-conference foe William & Mary (3-4). The Tribe trailed early, but used a big second half to come from behind and earn a 14-10 victory over the Lions at Robert K. Kraft Field.
Cecelia Messner and Dani Falcone both continued their strong play, netting hat tricks for the third time this season. Falcone also added three assists and eight draw controls for her strongest game of the season. First-year Cordelia Flemming added two goals, while first-year Annalisa Massaro chipped in two assists. Ellie Taylor and Serena Hong also found the back of the net once.
"We played a solid three quarters today," Head Coach Anne Murray said. "We needed to finish strong with a solid fourth quarter, but we didn't do that. Our shooting is up, but we will need to find a way to convert and score more goals from that uptick. We also need to focus on stopping quick goals on the defensive end. As always, we will respond with our preparation getting ready for the next one."
Despite the cold weather, the Lions began the game on fire. Columbia opened the game on a 5-0 run spanning from the 11:51 mark in the first quarter until there was just 6:05 remaining in the second quarter. Messner found the back of the net first off a beautiful feed from Falcone, and Taylor capped the run off a great pass from Gianna Danese.
Three minutes later, the Lions and Tribe exchanged a goal, as Ellie Shea scored for William & Mary and Messner found the back of the net again for Columbia. The Tribe would score two more unanswered goals to close out the first half, but the Lions still led 6-3 at the break.
William & Mary was able to trim its deficit to two by the end of the third quarter, outscoring Columbia 4-3 in the period, and that was when the game totally flipped. The Tribe went on a tear in the fourth quarter, scoring a whopping seven goals while limiting the Lions to just one goal. William & Mary took a 14-10 lead, and that would be the final score.
Tribe goalkeeper Elise Palmer had a career day between the pipes, notching 18 saves. Columbia outshot William & Mary 42-30 but just could not convert on those attempts, large in part due to the great performance by Palmer. Goalkeeper
Ella Sangree had six saves for the Lions. Adèle Swanson led Columbia with three caused turnovers. Falcone and
Sophie Zachara had a team-high three ground balls each.
Next up, the Lions will hit the road and fly to California for a non-contest matchup against UC Davis. Game time is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 18.
For the latest on Columbia lacrosse, follow @CULionsLax on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
