WASHINGTON: Eight different Eagles scored to lead American University women's lacrosse to a 15-10 victory over Colgate in its Patriot League opener on Saturday afternoon at the William I Jacobs Recreational Complex. Since joining the conference in 2002, American is 6-0 in Patriot League openers.

American University ended the first half with an 8-3 advantage over the Raiders and didn't waste anytime opening the scoring gates in the second. After winning the draw control, the Eagles used sharp passes to lead Lauren Aksionoff (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) to her second goal of the game, just 32 seconds into the final stanza. Colgate responded with two goals of its own before Aksionoff fired a shot past Raider goalkeeper Sara Drexler to regain the Eagles' five goal lead with 18:37 remaining in the game. The Baldwin, N.Y., native finished with four points, coming off three goals and one assist.

Kira Sonberg (Millersville, Md./Old Mill) tallied a team-high four goals in the win combined with an assist for five points on the day. Jackie Lane (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and Gina Ibello (Cockeysville, Md./Maryvale Prep) each chipped in two goals, with Anne Marie Person (Rosemont, Pa./The Episcopal Academy) and Caithlin Gorman (Springfield, Va./Bishop Ireton) scoring one a piece. Holding the Raiders' to 17 shots on goal, defenders Caitlin Bell (Flourtown, Pa./Springfield) and Brittany Finnegan (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) were in on the action, each tallying a goal in the victory.

Raiders' Ashley Didio used a four goal second half to try to chip away at the American lead, but with the Eagles' carrying the momentum, Colgate wasn't able to do much damage, with AU going on to win by five. Didio finished with a game-high seven points, coming from five goals and two assists.

American led in every aspect of the game, holding the 29-25 advantage in shots, leading 17-10 in draw controls and holding s 39-35 margin over Colgate in ground balls, with Finnegan and goalkeeper Kristine Vida (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) each picking up six. Vida finished with seven saves on the day.

American University improves to 5-4 on the season and 1-0 in Patriot League play. The win marks the first time since the 2003 season that the Eagles defeated the Raiders, going on to win their first ever Patriot League title that year. American University women's lacrosse returns to action on March 31 when it heads to Worcester, Mass. to take on the defending Patriot League Champion Holy Cross at 12:00 p.m.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (3/24/07) – Colgate sophomore Ashley Didio (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored a game-high five goals, but it was not enough as the Raider women's lacrosse team lost its first Patriot League game of the season, 15-10, to American on Saturday, Mar. 24, in Washington, D.C.

Didio finished the game with a career-high seven points as she had a hand in all but three of Colgate's goals. Freshman Meghan Lawler (Liverpool, N.Y.) was the recipient of one of Didio's passes, and she registered three goals and an assist for four points on the afternoon.

Kira Sonberg paced the Eagle effort with four goals and an assist. Lauren Aksionoff had three goals and a helper, while Jackie Lane earned three points, including a pair of goals. Eight different American players found the back of the net during the game.

AU raced out to a 4-1 lead less than nine minutes into the game. Colgate climbed back into the game by scoring two of the next three goals to cut the lead to two, 5-3, but the Eagles scored the final three goals of the first half to enter the break with an 8-3 lead.

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2007-03-24