CORTLAND, N.Y. – The nationally fifth-ranked Cortland women's lacrosse team scored the final 11 goals of the game and went on to defeat Oswego, 20-5, in the SUNYAC opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at the Stadium Complex. The Red Dragons improved to 7-1 with the win, while the Lakers fell to 2-2.

Three players had career offensive days for Cortland. Junior Lindsay Abbott (South Onondaga/Onondaga Central) recorded career highs of nine points and seven assists, which tied a school record first set in 1986 by Beth Breen against Clarkson. Junior Erin Kollar (East Islip) scored a career-best five goals, and sophomore Maria Di Fato (Camillus/West Genesee) matched her career high of five goals. Abbott also registered a game-high eight draw controls, while Di Fato contributed game highs of six caused turnovers and six ground balls.

Sophomore Mary Hartzheim (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) had two goals and one assist for the Red Dragons, sophomore Gina Campese (East Syracuse/East Syracuse-Minoa) chipped in with a goal and two assists and freshman Ashley Cook (Commack) recorded a goal and an assist. Four other players netted one goal, including freshman Heather Casey (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls), who tallied the first of her career. Sophomore Ally Levy (Reisterstown, MD/Seton Keough) started in goal and made one save in 25 minutes, 57 seconds before giving way to sophomore Shauna Hutchinson (Islip Terrace/East Islip), who stopped five shots over the final 34:03.

Junior Kristen Darcy (East Syracuse/East Syracuse-Minoa) led the Lakers with two goals. Senior Bri Borrow (Oswego) and juniors Erin Cummings (Valley Cottage/Nyack) and Kelly Collins (Fairport) each netted one goal. Senior Kelly Schroeder (Warwick/Warwick Valley), junior Rachael Raffa (Kings Park) and sophomore Stephanie Cronk (Endwell/Maine-Endwell) chipped in with one assist apiece. Sophomore goalie Ashlee Engel (Webster/Webster Thomas) made 13 saves in 50:10, and junior goalie Nicole Nalle (Oswego) stopped two shots in the final 9:50.

After Di Fato gave Cortland a 1-0 lead 5:18 into the game, Oswego ran off three straight goals in a two-minute span for a 3-1 lead. Borrow scored at 19:58, followed by Cummings at 18:28 and Darcy at 17:58. The Red Dragons responded with seven consecutive goals, including three by Di Fato, to build an 8-3 lead at the 7:29 mark. Darcy and Collins sandwich goals around Cortland junior Jordan Miller's (Liverpool) goal and the Red Dragons led, 9-5. Cortland grabbed the momentum by netting the final three goals of the half, the last two by Kollar, in the closing minute for a 12-5 lead.

In the second half, Cortland outscored the Lakers, 8-0, as seven different players found the back of the net. Kollar tallied a pair of goals, while sophomore Laura Edward (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point) scored her first of the season and Casey finished the scoring with the first of her career at the 29-second mark.  
 
GAME SUMMARY:

Team                                                            1-2    Final
Oswego (2-2, 0-1 SUNYAC)                    5-0          5
Cortland (7-1, 1-0 SUNYAC)                    12-8     20

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Oswego: Kristen Darcy 2-0, Erin Cummings 1-0, Bri Borrow 1-0, Kelly Collins 1-0, Stephanie Cronk 0-1, Kelly Schroeder 0-1, Rachael Raffa 0-1
Cortland: Maria Di Fato 5-0, Erin Kollar 5-0, Lindsay Abbott 2-7, Mary Hartzheim 2-1, Gina Campese 1-2, Ashley Cook 1-1, Jordan Miller 1-0, Alexis Egeberg 1-0, Heather Casey 1-0, Laura Edward 1-0, Liz Beville 0-1 

Goalkeepers:
Oswego: Ashlee Engel, 13 saves (18 GA in 50:10), Nicole Nalle, 2 saves (2 GA in 9:50
Cortland: Ally Levy, 1 save (5 GA in 25:57), Shauna Hutchinson, 5 saves (0 GA in 34:03)

Shots: Cortland 46, Oswego 11
Ground Balls: Cortland 37, Oswego 25
Clears: Cortland 14-of-16, Oswego 13-of-31 
Draw Controls: Cortland 16, Oswego 11
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 23, Oswego 10
Turnovers: Oswego 34, Cortland 23
Fouls: Cortland 25, Oswego 18