Colorado Lacrosse Falls to No. 4 Florida

BOULDER – The Colorado lacrosse team (6-6, 2-1 Big 12) fell to No. 4 Florida (12-2, 3-0), 15-10, at Prentup Field on Saturday, April 12.

In a high-scoring and highly anticipated matchup, the Buffs led the fourth-ranked Gators for the entire first half of the game (7-6), with graduate attacker Kendall Havill recording a hat trick in the second quarter. CU fought hard until the end, but Florida prevailed and pulled off the win.

"[Florida is] a good team in every position, every player on the field – in some ways, maybe that caught up to us," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "We were in a position to make some plays, and we didn't make them. We have to find the balance on defense. I don't think this is the first game where we have a quarter where we give up seven goals or more … So, defensively, we have to do better, and that's on me and how we prepare. Then there are some positions where we just have to make the plays and finish the plays, and we didn't do that."

Junior midfielder Lily Assini recorded her 100th career draw control, finishing with six on the day, and Colorado still won in the circle, managing 19 draw controls to Florida's 10. The Buffs and the Gators recorded the same number of shots (30) and saves (11) overall.

KEY PLAYERS:

Gr. A Kendall Havill recorded her second hat trick of the season, 29th of her career, and led the Buffs offensively with four goals.
Jr. M Lily Assini recorded her 100th career draw control and notched six on the day. She is eighth all-time for CU career draw controls. She also had two goals and two assists.
Jr. M Maddie Shoup scored one goal, caused one turnover and picked up a ground ball.
So. A Teagan Ryan had two goals and a ground ball.
Gr. A Madeline Pisani had a goal, an assist, a draw control and a ground ball.
Jr. M Molly Reed had three caused turnovers, four draw controls and a ground ball.
Jr. D Jess Peluso had four draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover.
So. M Averi Gardner an assist, four draw controls and a caused turnover.
Fr. GK Elena Oh had 11 saves, her third game this season with double-digit saves. She also had three ground balls.
Jr. D Mary Carson had one ground ball, Jr. D Lola Flynn had two ground balls and Fr. M Jenna Morley caused her first turnover.
For the Gators, Elyze Finnelle had 11 saves and three players with hat tricks.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Assini wasted no time putting Colorado on the board, with the first CU goal at 14:46. Ryan followed up quickly with another Buff goal only a minute later to give the Buffaloes an early 2-0 advantage, 13:21. Ryan was back for more with another Colorado goal to regain a two-point lead, CU, 3-1. Havill added to the momentum with another and the Buffs closed out a dominant first quarter with a 4-2 lead.
Both teams came out strong to start the second, with Florida striking first. Havill snapped CU's scoring drought with a big goal to shift the momentum back to the Buffs. Not long after, Shoup broke through Florida's defense to put Colorado ahead, 6-4. Oh stepped up in goal with several key saves to keep the Gators from gaining ground. Havill capped off the quarter with her third goal, securing her second hat trick of the season, at 2:11. The Buffs headed into the half holding onto a 7-6 lead over the fourth-ranked Gators.
Assini started out the third quarter once again, shooting and scoring at 14:11 to put CU up, 8-6. Florida evened out the scoreboard with back-to-back goals, but Oh ceased the momentum with a powerful save at the 11-minute mark. The Gators kept the pressure on and took their first lead of the game, 11-8. Pisani stopped the run with a goal at 5:04, and Assini lined up Havill for a killer shot with two minutes left in the third. Assini went on to record her 100th draw control of her career. The Buffs closed out the third with strong energy, ready to return for the fourth and final quarter (UF, 13-10).
Pisani kicked off the fourth quarter with another successful draw control, but Florida's offense persisted through to score another two goals, extending their lead to 15-10. Colorado continued to battle, but the Gators held strong. Despite the Buffs' efforts, Florida maintained control and closed out the game with a 15-10 win.

UP NEXT:

The Buffs host nonconference in-state rival Denver on Thursday, April 17, at Prentup Field. CU will also host UC Davis for senior day next Sunday, April 20. Opening draw against the Pioneers is set for 7 p.m. MT, and opening draw versus the Aggies is set for 12 p.m. MT. Fans can watch the games on ESPN+ and can follow along via Twitter @CUBuffsWLAX.

MATCH NOTES:

CU moves to 128-73 (.637) all-time and 4-2 in home games this season.
The Buffs are now 28-8 (.778) all-time against Big 12 opponents (including games prior to being in the conference together).
Colorado is 66-27 (.710) all-time in conference play, and 7-5 (.583) in conference home openers.

For more information on the Colorado women's lacrosse team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and Twitter @CUBuffsWLax.

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Team Stats

Kendall Havill

Teagan Ryan

Lily Assini

Maddie Shoup

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Mary Carson

Lola Flynn

Averi Gardner

Kendall Havill

Jenna Morley

Elena Oh

Jess Peluso

Madeline Pisani

Molly Reed

Teagan Ryan

Maddie Shoup

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Mary Carson

Lola Flynn

Averi Gardner

Kendall Havill

Jenna Morley

Elena Oh

Jess Peluso

Madeline Pisani

Molly Reed

Teagan Ryan

Maddie Shoup