COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Playing 1,700 miles from home and 6,000 feet above sea level in cold and windy weather, the Ursinus College women's lacrosse team went toe to toe with Colorado College in its first of two spring break games in the Centennial State, taking a tie score into the final 12 minutes before the Tigers used three free-position goals to break away for a 14-11 victory.
Senior Amy Kohout matched her career high with four goals and added an assist for the Bears (2-2). Sophomore Emily DiGiorgio recorded her second consecutive hat trick and third in four games, and junior Franny Liberatoscioli added a pair of goals.
Five different players netted multiple markers for Colorado College (3-0), which had won its first two games of the season by a combined tally of 43-6. The Tigers were ruthless on free-position attempts, cashing in on six of their seven shots in such situations to provide just enough separation from the Bears.
The evenly matched squads went back and forth all afternoon in a seesaw affair that featured six ties. After trailing 6-3 following a three-goal run by Colorado College, Ursinus rattled off the last three goals of the first half to send the teams into intermission deadlocked at 6. Sophomore Abby Goldstein started the spurt with an unassisted goal, and Kohout brought the Bears (2-2) to within one after depositing a feed from freshman Haley O'Malley. Liberatoscioli's free-position conversion at the 1:36 mark made it 6-all.
Steph Kelly sandwiched a pair of goals around one by DiGiorgio to put the Tigers in front by a 9-7 count early in the second stanza, but Kohout's second strike and a free-position goal by sophomore Bridget Sherry evened the spread at 9. Kelly set up Sadie Cole for a go-ahead goal for Colorado College at the 15:41 mark, and two minutes later Kohout scored unassisted to bring Ursinus level one last time at 10-apiece.
The Tigers produced goals on two more free-position efforts, and Lily Benjamin stretched the advantage to 13-10 when she put in her own rebound off a brilliant save by Bears junior Meaghan Corbin. Kohout's fourth goal was a beauty, a low shot from the right side of the cage into the bottom left corner of the net with 7:03 to play, but Mary Taussig's free-position marker with 3:54 to play all but ended Ursinus' hopes.
Senior Lisa Grous had a team-high four draw controls for Ursinus, which was outshot 32-24 and fell behind 17-10 on the draw. Senior Lindsey Grabell caused two turnovers, while Sherry contributed three ground balls and two draws and Liberatoscioli collected three grounders.
Corbin finished with a season-high 10 saves, six of them coming in the second half.
Zoe Frolik stopped four shots in the second half to earn the win for Colorado College, which got three saves from Remy Wells in the first frame.
The women's lacrosse team has two days off before taking on Emerson back on the campus of Colorado College on Thursday, March 9.