Clermont, Fla. – Sophomore Megan Leonard (Summit, N.J.) and sophomore Hadley Duncan (Rye, N.Y.) tallied three goals apiece to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a comeback victory over the Colby College Mules, 11-9, in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's lacrosse action this morning at the National Training Center. Trinity, ranked No. 5 in the nation, improves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the NESCAC, while No. 7-ranked Colby falls to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the league.
The Bantams quickly fell into a hole as Colby took a 4-0 lead in the opening nine minutes of action, but senior co-captain Rachel Romanowsky (Hampstead, N.H.) started and ended a five goal rally by the Bantams, sandwiched by two scores from Leonard, and a goal by senior co-captain Alison Urquhart (Reading, Conn.) to give Trinity its first lead at 5-4. Colby responded with two goals to end the half with a 6-5 advantage.
The Mules opened the second half the same way the first, scoring two quick goals to build an 8-5 lead. The Mules held a 9-7 advantage, before back-to-back goals by Duncan and first-year Shea Kusiak (Longmeadow, Mass.) knotted the score at 9-9 with 10:04 remaining in the game.
With intensity levels elevated for both teams, Trinity responded as Leonard netted the eventual game-winning goal with 3:53 on the clock. Colby had two key opportunities to tie the score again, but Trinity sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Whitney (Danvers, Mass.) came up with two clutch stops to protect the lead. Colby had one final scoring opportunity in the waning seconds, but the attack reversed course, and Duncan put the game away for good with a goal with three seconds remaining on the clock.
Whitney finished the game with eight saves, including seven in a standout second half, while Colby senior goalkeeper Sarah Warnke (Lakeville, Conn.) recorded seven saves for the Mules. Senior Casey Thomas (Needham, Mass.) scored two goals to lead Colby on the offensive end, while junior Claire Donegan (Great Falls, Va.) tallied a goal and an assist for the Mules.
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