The Colonials had a six-point lead at halftime Friday, but didn’t use that as an excuse to get comfortable.

GW began the second half by scoring a goal within the first three minutes, scoring again 20 seconds later and ultimately going on a 6-0 run that guided the team to victory.

With a burst of energy, the Colonials achieved a commanding 20-6 victory against the Long Island Blackbirds (22-5).

“We needed to play our style of lacrosse – our style, which is to come out strong and play with a lot of energy,” head coach Tara Hannaford said.

Freshman Rachel Mia set the tone early, netting the first goal off of a free position within the first six minutes of the game. The first half saw heads-up play from the Colonials, featuring quick transitions and long passing on offense.

GW was quick to back that up on the other end of the field as the Colonials held the Blackbirds to only eight shot attempts on the first. The Colonials attempted 27 and netted 11.

“Defensively, we talked a lot and communicated really well during the game,” senior midfielder Hilary Quinn said.

Quinn was a dynamic presence on the field; causing two turnovers, scooping up three ground balls and obtaining eight draw wins.

Junior Nicole Lacey followed closely behind with seven draw wins that allowed GW to have possession of the ball for a significant amount of the game. The Colonials ended the game with 17 more draw wins than Long Island.

Entering the second half, the Colonials were in the lead by a score of 11-5. Along with its offensive outburst, GW buckled down on defense, causing 22 turnovers on the game.

“They put a lot of pressure during transition, which helped a lot. It helped set up for the attacker. Defense picked it up in the second half as well,” Hannaford said.

The Colonials took a total of 39 shots, netting 20. Despite strong offensive play, Hannaford was quick to stress that her team’s performance wasn’t without fault, pointing to the Colonials’ 16 turnovers. Heading into a tough match against George Mason, Hannaford said she wanted to see her team buckle down on ball control, but maintain the high level of energy GW brought to Saturday’s game.

“We need to do a better job taking care of the ball, the midfielders and attack. There were a lot of turnovers,” Hannaford said.