NCAA Rewind: A Clear Step Forward for Colgate

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2025 — look out for our NCAA Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings later this summer — our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking a last look at the 2024 college lacrosse season.

To do that, we’re taking a journey through 30 of the top teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse to see what went right, what went wrong and how we should feel about the season.

COLGATE

USA Lacrosse preseason/final ranking: not ranked/not ranked
2024 record: 8-7 (5-3 Patriot League)

What went right: The Raiders recorded their first winning season since 2015, an accomplishment that should not be overlooked even if there were clear-cut problems. Long pole Max Yates (84 ground balls, 31 caused turnovers) had a monster year, and the likes of Jack Turner (40 goals, 7 assists), Rory Connor (30 G, 35 A) and Hunter Drouin (38 G, 14 A) provided a sound foundation on offense. 

Matt LaCombe (.525 save percentage) earned the Patriot League’s goalie of the year honor, collecting nearly 200 saves as the anchor of a defense that spent a lot of time on the field.

What went wrong: The numbers tell the tale here. Colgate’s .390 faceoff percentage was better than only five Division I teams. Its clearing percentage (.802) was better than just three others in D-I. And its 21.6 turnovers per game was 75th out of 76 programs. 

The Raiders made up for some of it by causing the second-most turnovers in the country, but to make the next step, they’re going to need to give an efficient offense (No. 5 in extra-man conversions, No. 15 in shooting percentage) more opportunities.

Season highlight: Picking off Penn State on the first day of the season was a hint that Matt Karweck had his best team since arriving in Hamilton. Credit to the Raiders for adding another high-profile triumph on April 6, a 14-11 victory at Army behind Drouin’s four goals and two assists.

Verdict: It was a clear step forward for Colgate, even if back-to-back losses to Boston University provided a sour note to close the season. The Raiders were a handful on offense, and the combination of personnel and scheme makes them an interesting variable in the Patriot League going forward.