NEW YORK – The Columbia lacrosse team played host to the fourth ranked team in the country, the Yale Bulldogs, in their conference opener Saturday afternoon at Kraft Field. The Bulldogs came away with a 17-6 win.
 
With the loss, Columbia drops to 3-3 on the season. Meanwhile, Yale remains perfect at 6-0.
 
Yale came out firing right out of the gate, scoring their first goal less than two minutes into the game. The Bulldogs scored the first six goals of the contest, but Anna Becker scored  10 minutes into the first quarter to put Columbia on the board. Yale would score the final two goals of the period to take an 8-1 lead into the second frame.
 
The Bulldogs opened up the second quarter with two goals in under three minutes, to extend their lead to 10-1. Columbia's defense would then hold Yale scoreless for almost 11 minutes, and Becker scored her second goal of the afternoon with 2:00 remaining in the first half. Yale would break their scoreless drought by scoring the last two goals of the half in the final 1:18, to take a 12-2 lead into the break.
 
The third quarter saw the Lions strike first, as Cecilia Messner scored her first goal of the game less than three minutes into the second half. Yale, however, would score the last four goals of the third quarter and took a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, Becker scored the first two goals for the Lions, bringing her up to a season-high four goals on the day. Dylan Silar also scored her first goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 16-6. Yale would score with just two seconds remaining to make it a 17-6 final.
 
Becker led the way for the Lions offense with her four points, all on goals. Messner had three points of her own, scoring one and assisting on two of Becker's goals. Dani Falcone had two points, both on assists.
 
On the defensive end, goalie Simone Koryszewski had a team-high three ground balls. Koryszewski also had a season-high 14 saves. Natalia Raiszadeh also added two ground balls and caused a turnover. Falcone led Columbia with six draw controls.
 
While the Bulldogs came out with a double digit win, the draw control battle was much closer, with Yale winning draws 14-10. Both teams were almost identical on clear attempts, with Yale going 17 for 18 on clears while Columbia went 16 for 18. Yale had a staggering 31 shots on goal compared to Columbia's 11. Columbia did have more saves than Yale, 14-5.
 
Columbia is back on the road for a non-conference game against the Villanova Wildcats next Saturday. Opening draw is set for 4:00 p.m.
 
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