Marist women’s Lacrosse started their five-game road trip with a 14-11 loss on a rainy evening in New York City.
Columbia came out of the gates hot as their offense exploded for three goals in the first three minutes. Sloppy clearing and ball-watching on the defensive side were coming back to bite Marist once again. After a slick move by senior attackman Alexa Borges, Marist cut the lead to 3-2 and hung around early.
The turnovers kept coming, but Columbia answered with a 3-0 run to end the quarter, making it their highest-scoring quarter of the season. Junior middie Cecelia Messner scored two goals in the first quarter while five others also netted a goal.
Less than a minute into the second, the offense kept coming as senior midfielder and Columbia’s leading scorer Dani Falcone netted her second of the game. After two more goals by this ferocious offense, this game looked all but over. Messner had a hat trick just six minutes into the second quarter.
The Red Foxes quickly rebounded after the sluggish start. After a goal by sophomore Catherine Windsor and a woman-up goal by junior midfielder Jessie Manger for her second of the night, Marist was right back in it.
After Columbia answered with a goal of their own to make it a 10-4 game with 4:30 left in the second, a fire lit under Marist. They scored five straight, making it a 10-9 game. Offensively, Manger led the way, getting her third of the night, followed by the sophomore sleeping giant Kate Gaven, who exploded for two straight goals, putting her at ten on the season and making it a one-goal game.
Columbia wouldn’t find the back of the net again until 4:30 in the third quarter, making it a whole quarter between goals. Columbia’s senior middie Ellie Taylor took advantage of a woman-up situation, as the long scoreless drought was finally over. Windsor responded instantly for the Foxes, putting her at two goals on the night, making it an 11-10 game heading into the fourth.
It was officially a nail-biter on the Upper West Side, and Alexa Borges came up huge for Marist. Coming around from X, Borges put a slick move on her defender, giving her three on the night, and it was a tie game for the first time since 0-0. After losing a seven-goal lead, Columbia coach Anne Murray decided to pull sophomore goalie Ava Kimchi and brought in senior Simone Koryszewski to close things out.
With just ten minutes remaining and all tied at eleven, Columbia took over. The Lions scored three straight, including one by Taylor and one by sophomore middie Anna Becker, giving both a hat trick. Messner put the icing on the cake, scoring her fourth of the night and helping Columbia secure the 14-11 victory.
Marist moves to 1-6 on the season and will head out to California to take on the University of Southern California Trojans on March 14 as they continue on their road trip.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic from Cara Lacey, Photo From Cassidy Connors
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky. Sign up to receive daily alerts here.