The nationally ranked No. 7 Hamilton College women’s lacrosse team won for the sixth time in seven games, holding off a pesky Skidmore College team 11-8 on Tuesday at Steuben Field.
Box score
The Continentals (6-1 overall) led 9-3 before the Thoroughbreds scored three of the second half’s four goals. Hamilton entered the day ranked 24th in Division III in scoring defense at 7.00 goals per game.
Hamilton opened the game with a 5-0 run, then responded to Skidmore’s 3-1 burst midway through the opening period by netting three goals in a row. The Thoroughbreds (5-2) netted five of the game’s final seven goals, with Hamilton scoring in the final second of the half to carry a 10-5 lead into intermission and nine minutes into the second half.
Ashleigh Stephan ’15 matched a career high with three goals, Jackie Cuddy ’18 recorded her first collegiate multi-point game and Morgan Fletcher ’17 notched her third three-point performance in the past five games to lead Hamilton’s offense.
Fletcher had a hand in three of the first four goals, feeding Caroline McCarthy '16 for a goal just nine seconds off the opening draw, then scoring twice in a 49-second span to put the Continentals up 4-0. Hamilton pushed its lead to 5-0 when Skidmore’s goaltender saved a shot by Nora Klemmer ‘17, but lost the ball on a clear attempt resulting in an “own goal”.
Tyler Phillips ’17 sparked Skidmore’s rally, picking up two of her three goals in the second half and assisting on a goal by Spencer Morgan ’15 with 2:29 left that pulled the Thoroughbreds to 11-8. Skidmore won the ensuing draw (the Thoroughbreds won 12 of 20) but turned the ball over twice and sent two shots wide of the net with a third saved by Hamilton’s Kari Koga ‘15.
Cuddy scored twice in the first half and assisted on a goal by Darby Philbrick '18 that followed two straight Skidmore goals, putting Hamilton up 6-2. Morgan and Emma Harris ’16 scored goals 1:19 apart late in the half to cut Hamilton’s lead to 9-5 but Klemmer beat the halftime buzzer with her ninth goal of the season, leaping high to corral a McCarthy pass from behind the net then putting the ball into the net with seven-tenths of a second on the clock.
Hamilton’s Hannah Withiam ‘16 led all player with four ground balls, matching a career high. Fletcher, Taylor Ryan '17 and Gaela Dennison-Leonard ’16 all picked up three (Dennison-Leonard’s total was a career high).
Harris and Morgan both scored a pair of goals for Skidmore. Emily Schlicht ’18 caused four turnovers to lead all players. She and Rachel Talanian ’17 had three ground balls apiece.
The Continentals have won 10 in a row over Skidmore and own a 31-8 all-time series lead.
Hannah Rubin ’17 earned the win in goal for Hamilton, tying her personal high with six saves -- all in the first half -- over the first 49:32. Megan Kolopsky ’17 finished with nine saves for Skidmore.
Hamilton continues non-conference action on Thursday, March 26, with a 4 p.m. game at SUNY Oneonta. The Thoroughbreds play a Liberty League game at Rensselaer on Saturday.
