Hartford, Conn. - Junior midfielder Caroline Hayes (Greenfield, N.H.) scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the second half to lead the Trinity College Bantams to an 8-6 victory over the visiting Colby College Mules in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's lacrosse action this afternoon on Sheppard Field.  Trinity, ranked No. 2 in the nation, wins its season opener and the No. 9-ranked Mules drop to 0-1.

Trinity took a 3-0 lead in the opening 4:14 thanks to goals by junior midfielder Lindsay Mullaney (Wellesley, Mass.), sophomore midfielder Martha Griffin (Exeter, N.H.), and junior attacker Renee Olsen (Ridgewood, N.J.).  Colby answered with back-to-back free-position tallies by Lindsey McKenna (Fairfield, Conn.) and Katharine Eddy (Cheshire, Conn.), and Griffin and Eddy traded scores before the Mules closes the first half with three goals in a row.  Eddy scored one and assisted on a second during the 3-0 run that gave Colby a 6-4 lead the the break.  Trinity senior tri-captain attacker Shea Kusiak (Longmeadow, Mass.) scored 2:35 into the second half, and the Bantams tied the score at 6-6 with 21:20 remaining on Hayes' first goal.  Hayes struck again with 6:58 left to play to end over a 14-minute scoring drought by both teams, and Griffin added an insurance goal with 5:10 on the clock. 

Trinity sophomore goalie Emily Mooney (New York, N.Y.) made five saves and needed to make just one in the second half, as the Bantam defense of senior tri-captain Lyndsey Shepard (Hamilton, Mass.), senior Midge Daniel (Wellesley, Mass.), sophomore Ashley Stewart (Dover, Mass.), and first-year Kathryn DeLillio (Wilmington, Del.) held Colby to just two shots after intermission and scoreless for the last 36 minutes. Senior Michelle Burt (Woodbridge, Conn.) made 11 stops for Colby. Eddy had three goals and one assist for Colby and Griffin paced the Bantam offense with three goals.  Shepard's scooped a game-high ground balls and McKenna had a game-high five draw controls.