Saturday, February 24
New York, N.Y.
1:00 p.m.
Columbia University
vs
Monmouth
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.
Lacrosse Hosts Monmouth on Saturday Afternoon
2/23/2024 4:15:00 PM | Lacrosse
Lions seek second straight win to open 2024 season
NEW YORK - The Columbia lacrosse team will seek its second straight win to begin the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions will host the Monmouth Hawks at Robert K. Kraft Field. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
In the season opener last Saturday afternoon against Lafayette, Columbia came away with an 8-7 victory to earn its first victory of the 2024 campaign in a thriller at Kraft Field. This is the third straight year Columbia has won its season opener.
It wasn't an ideal start for Columbia, as Lafayette won the opening draw and Anna Romano found the back of the net just 19 seconds into the game for the Leopards. However, the Lions' defense would stiffen from that point on, not allowing another goal in the first quarter, as Columbia came back to take a 3-1 lead by the end of the period.
Once again it was the Leopards who opened the second quarter with a goal, and once again it was Romano, but once again the Lions had an answer. Kate Cunning netted her first goal of the season on a free-position shot less than 60 seconds later, and the Lions would take that 4-2 lead into halftime. That same two-goal lead would remain at the start of the fourth quarter.
Columbia was able to extend its lead to four goals early in the fourth, but Lafayette would not go down without a fight. The Leopards would score three unanswered goals late in the period to pull within one goal of tying things up, but the Lions' defense survived and they escaped with the victory.
Besides the small hiccup late in the fourth quarter, Columbia's defense was astounding all night. The Lions forced 22 Leopard turnovers, and held Lafayette to just 75% on clear attempts. Julie Griswold, Ellie Eisner, and Alison Surace led the way, each causing two turnovers and combining for four ground balls.
"We had a hard-fought test against Lafayette," Head Coach Anne Murray said. "Our defensive unit played consistently strong and came up with some great takeaways and saves. Our midfield group played fast and came up with so many 50/50 opportunities. And on offense, we kept attacking for 60 minutes and finished when we needed it."
MAGICAL DEBUTS x2
For the second consecutive season, it was the first-year class that stepped up and led the Lions to a massive season-opening win over the Lafayette Leopards.
In 2023, the Lions kicked off the year with a 15-13 win over the Leopards. Columbia's first-years combined for nine of the team's 15 goals in the game to help lead the Lions to the victory. Cecelia Messner led the way with four goals and an assist. Annalisa Massaro tallied a hat trick, while Cordelia Flemming and Serena Hong also chipped in a goal each.
The only difference between this year's win and last year's victory was that this year's game was played in front of the home crowd at Wien Stadium. Ava Kimche set the tone between the pipes, notching six saves in her collegiate debut. Michelle Zhai led the offense, netting a hat trick in her first game while dishing out two assists. First-year Anna Becker scored two goals in the contest, and first-year Natalia Raiszadeh added a goal of her own.
In addition, first-year Anna Becker had what may be the highlight of the entire year. After a beautiful set up from Zhai, Becker went no look and behind-the-back, beating the Leopards' keeper and finding the back of the net with what would ultimately be the game-winning goal for the Lions.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
Monmouth enters Saturday's contest with a 2-1 record, having a great start to the 2024 season.
To open the season, the Hawks picked up commanding wins over Bryant and FDU. Last time out, Monmouth battled valiantly against #24 Rutgers but ultimately came up short, 11-7, to pick up its first loss of the year.
Columbia and Monmouth also squared off in 2024, with the Hawks emerging victorious, 12-9, in New Jersey. Sophie Zachara had a hat trick to lead the Lions, while five Hawks scored two goals each.
Monmouth was picked to finish sixth in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Preseason Poll, after finishing fifth in the conference last season.
Caroline Brennan leads the Hawks with 12 goals so far this season. Taylor Charpentier leads Monmouth with six assists. Danielle McNeelly leads the team with 15 draw controls. Gia Mitchell has two wins between the pipes, collecting 16 saves.
The Hawks are 4-0 all-time against Columbia.
ON DECK
Columbia will open Ivy League play next weekend as the Lions travel to Philadelphia to take on the Penn Quakers on Saturday afternoon. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m.
The Lions' full 2024 schedule can be found HERE.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games and all Ivy League contests will be streamed via ESPN+. You can find tomorrow's game HERE.
Live stats will be available via gocolumbialions.com, HERE.
For the latest on Columbia lacrosse, follow @CULionsLax on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaLax and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
LAST TIME OUT
In the season opener last Saturday afternoon against Lafayette, Columbia came away with an 8-7 victory to earn its first victory of the 2024 campaign in a thriller at Kraft Field. This is the third straight year Columbia has won its season opener.
It wasn't an ideal start for Columbia, as Lafayette won the opening draw and Anna Romano found the back of the net just 19 seconds into the game for the Leopards. However, the Lions' defense would stiffen from that point on, not allowing another goal in the first quarter, as Columbia came back to take a 3-1 lead by the end of the period.
Once again it was the Leopards who opened the second quarter with a goal, and once again it was Romano, but once again the Lions had an answer. Kate Cunning netted her first goal of the season on a free-position shot less than 60 seconds later, and the Lions would take that 4-2 lead into halftime. That same two-goal lead would remain at the start of the fourth quarter.
Columbia was able to extend its lead to four goals early in the fourth, but Lafayette would not go down without a fight. The Leopards would score three unanswered goals late in the period to pull within one goal of tying things up, but the Lions' defense survived and they escaped with the victory.
Besides the small hiccup late in the fourth quarter, Columbia's defense was astounding all night. The Lions forced 22 Leopard turnovers, and held Lafayette to just 75% on clear attempts. Julie Griswold, Ellie Eisner, and Alison Surace led the way, each causing two turnovers and combining for four ground balls.
"We had a hard-fought test against Lafayette," Head Coach Anne Murray said. "Our defensive unit played consistently strong and came up with some great takeaways and saves. Our midfield group played fast and came up with so many 50/50 opportunities. And on offense, we kept attacking for 60 minutes and finished when we needed it."
MAGICAL DEBUTS x2
For the second consecutive season, it was the first-year class that stepped up and led the Lions to a massive season-opening win over the Lafayette Leopards.
In 2023, the Lions kicked off the year with a 15-13 win over the Leopards. Columbia's first-years combined for nine of the team's 15 goals in the game to help lead the Lions to the victory. Cecelia Messner led the way with four goals and an assist. Annalisa Massaro tallied a hat trick, while Cordelia Flemming and Serena Hong also chipped in a goal each.
The only difference between this year's win and last year's victory was that this year's game was played in front of the home crowd at Wien Stadium. Ava Kimche set the tone between the pipes, notching six saves in her collegiate debut. Michelle Zhai led the offense, netting a hat trick in her first game while dishing out two assists. First-year Anna Becker scored two goals in the contest, and first-year Natalia Raiszadeh added a goal of her own.
In addition, first-year Anna Becker had what may be the highlight of the entire year. After a beautiful set up from Zhai, Becker went no look and behind-the-back, beating the Leopards' keeper and finding the back of the net with what would ultimately be the game-winning goal for the Lions.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
Monmouth enters Saturday's contest with a 2-1 record, having a great start to the 2024 season.
To open the season, the Hawks picked up commanding wins over Bryant and FDU. Last time out, Monmouth battled valiantly against #24 Rutgers but ultimately came up short, 11-7, to pick up its first loss of the year.
Columbia and Monmouth also squared off in 2024, with the Hawks emerging victorious, 12-9, in New Jersey. Sophie Zachara had a hat trick to lead the Lions, while five Hawks scored two goals each.
Monmouth was picked to finish sixth in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Preseason Poll, after finishing fifth in the conference last season.
Caroline Brennan leads the Hawks with 12 goals so far this season. Taylor Charpentier leads Monmouth with six assists. Danielle McNeelly leads the team with 15 draw controls. Gia Mitchell has two wins between the pipes, collecting 16 saves.
The Hawks are 4-0 all-time against Columbia.
ON DECK
Columbia will open Ivy League play next weekend as the Lions travel to Philadelphia to take on the Penn Quakers on Saturday afternoon. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m.
The Lions' full 2024 schedule can be found HERE.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games and all Ivy League contests will be streamed via ESPN+. You can find tomorrow's game HERE.
Live stats will be available via gocolumbialions.com, HERE.
For the latest on Columbia lacrosse, follow @CULionsLax on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaLax and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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