NAPLES, Fla. - The Columbia lacrosse team took on the Niagara Purple Eagles in a neutral site matchup at the Paradise Sports Complex in Naples, Florida on Sunday afternoon. Ultimately, it was Niagara who prevailed in an overtime thriller, 13-12.
Anna Becker struck first for the Lions in the first quarter, and ignited a 3-0 run to begin the game for Columbia. Niagara fought back to take a 5-4 lead at halftime, and both teams would trade goals and trade the lead multiple times before the start of the fourth quarter.
The Purple Eagles took a 12-10 lead with four minutes left to play in the game, but the Lions had one last push in them.
Noelle DeMarinis cut Niagara's lead to one goal with just over three minutes to go, and
Dani Falcone completed the comeback, and completed her hat trick, after converting a free-position attempt with just one minute to go in the fourth quarter.
With the score tied 12-12, the Purple Eagles won the draw control and held for the last shot of regulation. Andra Savage attacked the net with 14 seconds on the clock and fired, but her shot was just wide left and the game would need to be settled in sudden-victory overtime.
Just over a minute into the bonus six minutes, Niagara's Lois Garlow ended the game with a beautiful goal off a pass from Rachel Crane. With the win, the Purple Eagles improve to 7-1, while the Lions drop to 2-5.
"This game was full of momentum shifts and runs," Head Coach
Anne Murray said. "We stayed in it until the end and it was hard not being able to finish the fight. We need to sharpen up on our unforced turnovers and be able to finish on our 100% opportunities."
Cecelia Messner, Becker, and Falcone all notched hat tricks, while Falcone dished out a career-high four assists and tallied a career-high seven points, to go with a team-high five draw controls. DeMarinis collected her first two goals of the season.
Cordelia Flemming had a team-high three caused turnovers.
Columbia's road trip continues on Wednesday with a contest against UConn in Storrs at 3 p.m.
For the latest on Columbia lacrosse, follow @CULionsLax on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
