CORTLAND, N.Y. – Junior Lindsay Abbott (South Onondaga/Onondaga Central) scored a game-high nine points on four goals and five assists to lead the nationally fourth-ranked Cortland women's lacrosse team to a 15-4 win versus Colby Sunday afternoon in a regional final at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.

The Red Dragons tied a school record with their 19th straight win and bettered their school record for wins in a season by improving to 21-1 overall. With the victory, Cortland advances to the Div. III "final four" for the second time in school history and first since 2006 when it tied for third in the nation. The Red Dragons will face Gettysburg in a national semifinal, while Bowdoin and The College of New Jersey meet in the other semifinal on Saturday, May 21, at Adelphi University. Bowdoin and TCNJ will play at 5 p.m., followed by Cortland vs. Gettysburg at 8 p.m.

Abbott became the first player in Cortland women's lacrosse history to reach 300 career points, pushing her season total to 133 on 59 goals and a school-record 74 assists and her career total to 306 points on 182 goals and school-best 124 assists. Sophomore Maria Di Fato (Camillus/West Genesee) scored four times for Cortland with sophomore Mary Hartzheim (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) adding three goals and two assists and freshman Alexis Egeberg (Black River/Carthage) scoring twice. Junior Erin Kollar (East Islip) and freshman Ashley Cook (Commack) each netted a goal and sophomore Laura Edward (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point) picked up an assist. Sophomore goalie Ally Levy (Reisterstown, MD/Seton Keough) made nine saves.

Senior Katie Briody (Hopewell, NJ/Princeton Day School) led the Mules (15-5) with a pair of goals. Senior Anne Geraghty (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and freshman Lindsey McKenna (Fairfield, CT/Hotchkiss School) tallied one goal apiece, and juniors Claire Donegan (Great Falls, VA/The Potomac School) and Lane McVey (Bronxville/Choate Rosemary Hall) and sophomore Hilary Barr (Ridgewood, NJ) contributed one assist each. Senior Sarah Warnke (Lakeville, CT/Westminster) started in goal, making four saves in 44 minutes, one second, before giving way to freshman Michelle Burt (Woodbridge, CT/The Hotchkiss School), who stopped one shot over the final 15:59.

Cortland jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the game on Cook's goal and back-to-back scores from Di Fato. Geraghty put Colby on the scoreboard at 19:24, but the Red Dragons closed the first half with five consecutive goals for an 8-1 lead at the break. Di Fato scored twice during the run and Abbott chipped in with a goal and two assists.

Abbott pushed Cortland's lead to 10-1 with goals just over a minute and a half apart to open the second half. The Mules responded by scoring three of the next four goals, two off Briody's stick, to make it an 11-4 game at the 15:59 mark. The Red Dragons sealed the win by netting the game's final four goals as Abbott scored her fourth of the game and registered her fourth and fifth assists for the final of 15-4.

Cortland 15, Colby 4 

GAME SUMMARY:

Team                              1-2    Final
Colby (15-5)                   1-3          4
Cortland (21-1)              8-7        15

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Colby: Katie Briody 2-0, Lindsey McKenna 1-0, Anne Geraghty 1-0, Claire Donegan 0-1, Hilary Barr 0-1, Lane McVey 0-1
Cortland: Lindsay Abbott 4-5, Maria Di Fato 4-0, Mary Hartzheim 3-2, Alexis Egeberg 2-0, Erin Kollar 1-0, Ashley Cook 1-0, Laura Edward 0-1

Goalkeepers:
Colby: Sarah Warnke, 4 saves (11 GA in 44:01), Michelle Burt, 1 save (4 GA in 15:59)
Cortland: Ally Levy, 9 saves (4 GA in 60:00)

Shots: Cortland 26, Colby 19
Ground Balls: Cortland 19, Colby 19
Clears: Cortland 16-of-28, Colby 9-of-11
Draw Controls: Colby 14, Cortland 7
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 12, Colby 7
Turnovers: Colby 21, Cortland 19
Fouls: Cortland 33, Colby 29