WATERVILLE — The only thing that could stop the Colby women’s lacrosse team on Saturday morning came from above.

A lightning delay halted play with 5:10 to go in Saturday’s NCAA Division III round of 16 game against Stevens Institute of Technology. By that point, a Colby run of nine straight goals had turned what was a tight contest into a mere formality — a 17-6 Colby win.

“It’s hard to say how this team flipped the switch, but we just never let up our energy or our confidence in the girl next to us on the field,” said Colby defenseman Kat Munter. “Through whatever they were doing, we were able to fight back and play Colby lacrosse.”

Colby advances to the Elite Eight and will face No. 7 Wesleyan (15-5) at 1 p.m., Sunday.

Julia Jardina (five goals), Charlotte Michener (four goals) and Ainsley Dion (three) led the way for Colby, which scored the game’s last 10 goals. 

Alison Lax and Maddie Hogan scored to give Stevens a 2-0 lead. No. 4 Colby (16-3) answered with tallies from Ainsley Burke, Dion and Kins Helmer, but the visitors hit back with goals from Stefanie Sellito and Alina Franz to retake the lead midway through the second quarter.

Yet Jardina, Colby’s all-time single-season leader in goals, had a response. The senior scored twice, with 3:57 and 2:45 left in the half, to put the Mules up 5-4, and after No. 17 Stevens (17-5) tied it with 15 seconds left in the half, she scored two more goals early in the third quarter to give Colby its first two-goal lead.

“It’s always helpful to have that hot hand and someone that can take it on themselves while also knowing everyone has her back,” Colby coach Karen Henning said. “We know that everyone on this team can step up, but in that moment, it was great to have Julia get it done.”

Lax scored the last goal for Stevens with 9:47 left in the third. Colby found another hot hand in Michener, who scored four of the last eight goals, and with a stout back led by Munter and Jillian Kane in goal, the Mules cruised the rest of the way.

Colby got off to a slow start, going nearly 13 minutes without scoring to open the game. Yet with a defense that kept a Stevens team averaging 16.1 goals per game at bay, the Mules were easily able to climb out of the hole.

“We had the goal of coming out hot; we had a struggle there for a second, and I think it took us a second to get warm,” Jardina said. “I think with the way our defense was playing — making some gritty plays — it honestly really inspired our attack to bury the ball.”

Henning said Colby’s second-half burst was a matter of capitalizing on its opportunities. Although she was happy with the looks her team got early in the game, the Mules had numerous shots go wide or off the post. Michener was particularly efficient, scoring on all four shots she attempted.

“We hit the post like three times in that first set of shots, so we were getting looks; we just wanted cleaner looks and to give ourselves time to finish,” Henning said. “Coming into the second quarter, we found the holes and gave ourselves that time.”

The Division III quarterfinal berth is the eighth for Colby and the fourth in as many seasons. The Mules lost to NESCAC foe Middlebury in the 2022 and 2023 quarterfinals before falling to William Smith College last year.

Unlike the past three years, though, Colby will be at home. With a win, the Mules would clinch a berth in next Friday’s Final Four in Salem, Virginia — a place they’ve never been — and would mark a milestone achievement for a program accustomed to postseason play.

“I think it’s been our goal to not only get here but keep going, but we’re also taking it one game at a time,” Jardina said. “Truly, we just get excited to play a game, and that’s what tomorrow is, an awesome game with a cool opportunity if we pull it out.”