The Monmouth’s Women’s Lacrosse team dropped their fourth straight game to start the season against Columbia on Saturday (2/22/25) afternoon at Kessler Stadium.
After the game was tied early in the second half, Columbia scored five unanswered goals and ended up winning by a score of 11-8.
The goal scoring got started quickly, as Columbia’s Natalia Raiszadeh scored twelve seconds into the game to give Columbia a quick 1-0 lead. Two more Lions goals gave Columbia a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
A little over a minute after Columbia made it 3-0, sophomore attack Caleigh Shore put the Hawks on the board. Shore’s goal started a hot stretch for the Hawks, as they went on to score three more goals in the next four minutes courtesy of sophomore midfielder Sophia Ianno, junior midfielder Sophia Lymberis, and junior attack Shea Berigan to take a 4-3 lead. Columbia added one more goal to end a high-scoring first quarter in a 4-4 tie.
In the second quarter, the scoring slowed down, as there were only three goals combined between the two teams. The first goal of the quarter did not come until nearly ten minutes in, with Berigan scoring her second of the game to give Monmouth a 5-4 lead. Columbia struck back with two goals in the final two minutes of the quarter, giving the Lions a 6-5 lead heading into halftime.
Monmouth started off the second half with a goal by senior midfielder Maddie Flynn to tie the game. However, this was the last goal Monmouth scored until the 7:22 mark in the fourth quarter. Columbia went on to score five unanswered goals between the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter to take a commanding 11-6 lead. The Hawks scored two quick goals in the middle of the fourth quarter courtesy of senior midfielder Danielle McNeely and junior attack Brenna McCafferty to cut the lead to 11-8 with five minutes to go, but the Lions defense would stand tall in the final minutes and keep Monmouth off the board. The Lions held on to their 11-8 lead and secured the win. The win was Columbia’s first of the season in their second game. Monmouth would suffer their fourth straight loss as they still search for their first win of the season.
Berigan led the scoring for the Hawks with two goals, pushing her total to ten on the season. Columbia’s Dani Falcone would score a hat trick, leading the Lions in scoring.
Searching for its first win, Monmouth will continue its season by going on a two -game road trip to Marist on Wednesday Feb. 26 and Quinnipiac on Saturday Mar. 1. The Hawks return to Kessler Stadium on Wednesday, Mar. 5, to take on Rider.
