Sports Feature: Colby Women’s Lacrosse is off to a hot start after beating #2 Tufts

According to a Bates lacrosse player, Colby Women’s Lacrosse’s (CWL) first game of the season against Tufts University should have been a bloodbath. It turned out that she was right, just not in the way she thought. In an unexpected victory, the Colby team, ranked #15 in the country, beat Tufts (#2) 9-4.

Along with winning the game, Colby had more shots on goals, more ground balls, and fewer turnovers.

The last time CWL beat Tufts was in 2017, the same year the Mules went on to win the NESCAC championship. For both victories, CWL was led by head coach, Karen Henning, who has held the position since 2008. In that time, she has led the team to three NESCAC championship victories and four NCAA quarterfinals.

Henning attributed the win to the effort the team has been putting in and the attitude they had going into the game.

“I thought we were prepared, focused and confident. We had the right mindset of going out and competing together,” Henning said.

She gave a special shout-out to the eleven seniors on the team.

“I also think our seniors have done a great job bringing this team together which helped tremendously with our on the field chemistry,” she said.

One player who went above and beyond in this game was Emily Podgorni `22, Colby’s senior goalie. Podgorni had a .789 save percentage and 15 saves, which tied her career high. She went on to be recognized as both NESCAC player of the week and Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) player of the week.

Even more impressively, this was Podgorni’s first time playing in a game in a while, due to COVID and a torn ACL.

         “I was very nervous, as it was the first game I had played in just under two years, and it was against a team that we had historically struggled against,” Podgorni said.

She was optimistic about Colby’s chance of winning around halftime, when the Mules were up 6-2, but she never let her guard down and had 7 saves in the second half. This was Tufts’ lowest scoring game since 2015, when they lost to Trinity College 18-4.

         Podgorni made sure to credit her entire team for the victory.

         “Everyone on the team, both on and off the field, has a role in our successes. No individual wins or loses games. We showed out playing as a team and will continue to have successes as we keep doing so,” she said.

         While this was the first game of the season for everyone, it was also the first collegiate game ever for many players, including two starters, Julia Jardina `25 and Kat Munter `25. Jardina scored 3 out of Colby’s 9 goals, including their first goal of the game.

         While Jardina was a key player for Colby, she did not know what to expect when starting.

“Going into the game I was pretty nervous but also so excited. I knew that we had worked so hard as a team and that it was going to be such a fun game,” she said.

         Munter shared Jardina’s initial feelings.

“I was definitely nervous, but once the game started and we were on the field, I wasn’t nervous anymore,” Munter said.

Although, as the game progressed, her feelings changed as well.

“It felt awesome. It felt epic. It really felt like the team was all together and had super high energy. We were all just ready for it,” she said.

Annie Eddy `23 was coming back from an injury when she was put in the game.

“I was honestly pretty nervous for this game. I was injured for most of pre-season, and coming back so close to the game, I was not feeling confident,” Eddy said.

Despite her injury and nerves, she scored 4 out of Colby’s 9 goals. Like Podgorni, Eddy made sure to credit her team for the victory.

“My teammates supported me so much and pumped me up for the game. We had really good team energy going into the game, and everyone was willing to give it their all, no matter if you were cheering on the sidelines or playing in the game,” she said.

         This victory was a fantastic way to start the season, and Coach Henning has high hopes for where this season will go.

         “I'm so excited about the rest of the season. We have an amazing group of individuals who are committed to each other and working hard to be the best team we can be. I can't imagine anything better,” Henning said.

Following their win, the Mules lost to Roger Williams University 13-10 and beat Plymouth State University 19-5. They play Wesleyan University in Middletown on Saturday, Mar. 19th at 12:00 PM.

~ Mairead Levitt '25