The Bison women’s lacrosse team topped Colgate on April 15 with a final score of 12-11.

Morgan Steinhacker ’20 scored the game winning goal with 23 seconds left in regulation, giving the Orange and Blue a strong chance to qualify for the conference tournament for the second year in a row. Mary Margaret Kenney ’18 notched a career-high five goals that were pivotal in keeping the team in the game. The Bison improved their record to 9-4 overall and 4-2 in the Patriot League with the victory.

The Raiders and Bison both got off to a strong start, yet Colgate still found a way to keep the momentum, leading 3-2 early in the first half. Kenney scored both goals for the Orange and Blue, giving the Bison the drive to stay in the game early.

Minutes later, a scoring barrage led by Kenney, Maddy Molinari ’17, and Becca Golding ’17 allowed the Bison to finish the half in dominant fashion and take a 7-3 score into the break. Kenney entered the second half with a hat-trick, while Molinari finished with two goals and two assists. With this burst, the Bison captured the momentum going into the second half.

“Our plan was to keep the ball moving with the intention of driving the backside where there was major holes in the defense,” Molinari said. “It was crucial to drive against their weaker defenders while at the same time occupying their stronger defenders so that they couldn’t slide to help.”

However, Colgate was not going to go down without a fight. The Raiders went on a 3-1 scoring surge to close the gap to two goals with a score of 8-6. The Bison, doing everything in their power to stop the run, scored three straight goals to extend the lead to five. The lead seemed safe, but the Raiders were determined to stay in the game.

Colgate tied the score at 11 with 49 seconds remaining. One last-minute play was designed to isolate Steinhacker to get her a shot on goal, which she buried after driving one-on-one with a defender. Once Steinhacker scored, the Bison were able to get the ball back and run out the rest of the clock. The win snapped a 14-game losing streak against the Raiders.

“Our coaches prepared us for this game and we practiced 1-vs.-1’s all week,” Steinhacker said.  “I had confidence in my team, who worked so hard throughout the game, and I’m so excited that all our work paid off.”

The Orange and Blue will face Navy on April 22 in Annapolis, Md.