Billy Holmes ’25
Staff Writer
On Sunday April 28th, the Holy Cross Women’s Lacrosse team competed in their first matchup of the 2024 Patriot League Tournament as they went up against Colgate. For the first time since 2014, the team was able to pull off the victory by a score of 14-9 and advance to the 2nd round of the postseason. Colgate started off the game strong by outsourcing the Crusaders 3-2 in the first quarter of play. However, when the 2nd quarter came about the Crusaders took control of the game and went into halftime leading Colgate by a score of 7-4. Despite some push back from Colgate in the 3rd quarter, Holy Cross added on 4 more goals in the 4th quarter and took home a 14-9 victory.
When looking at the contest from the Holy Cross side, junior attacker Isabela Miller had an incredible performance as she scored 3 goals and also tallied 2 assists. Miller’s performance was especially impressive due to the fact that she played the entirety of the game. Freshman midfielder Annabel Brennan also had a fantastic game as she scored 3 goals, which matched her career high which she set in February against Bryant and in March against Colgate.
Two other key contributors in the winning performance came from a pair of juniors as midfielder Ella Kittredge and attacker Sally Zinsner each had extremely impactful performances. Kittredge and Zinsner each tallied 3 points in the Crusaders’ win. When looking at the goaltending for the Crusaders, senior Tori Cini stopped 11 shots and won her 10th game of the season.
The victory was in some ways poetic, as the Crusaders’ women’s lacrosse team defeated Colgate in the program’s last postseason win a decade ago. With hopefully two more games to go, the Crusaders currently hold a record of 12-5 on the season, which is a major improvement from their 7-11 record last season. Due to the team’s strong improvement from last season, Head Coach Amanda Belichick was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for Women’s Lacrosse.
Looking ahead, the Crusaders will play Navy in Maryland on Thursday, May 2nd at 7 P.M. as they look to advance to the Patriot League Title game. If they are able to defeat the Midshipmen, Holy Cross will have the opportunity to play in the Patriot League Championship game for the first time since 2013. Although Navy has had a tremendous season, which is displayed by their 14-3 record, the Crusaders’ transformation from last season to this season should serve as a concrete reminder of how far the team has progressed and what they are ultimately capable of.
Copy Edited by Will Donahue
Featured image courtesy of Holy Cross Women’s Lacrosse Instagram
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