Colorado Lacrosse Falls to No. 24 Denver

BOULDER – The Colorado lacrosse team (6-7, 2-1 Big 12) fell to No. 24 Denver (10-5, 3-1 Big East), 9-8, at Prentup Field on Thursday, April 17.

The Colorado Buffaloes played a close game against the Pioneers, ending the first half within one point of Denver (6-5, DU). After a hard-fought third quarter, the Black and Gold fell behind by two (8-6, DU) but ultimately fell to Denver, 9-8.

"We've got to find a way to make a couple more plays," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "We've been in this situation before. I'm proud of us for being able to keep it close. In past games, sometimes it gets away from us, but we fought hard. We kept it close, but we've got to find a way to make another play or two."

Colorado controlled the draw circle with 13 draw controls in total. The Buffaloes led the match with 13 caused turnovers, with Sr. D Katie McLean earning four by herself. The Buffs had more ground balls and shots on goal than the Pioneers, 18-17 and 14-13, respectively.

KEY PLAYERS:

So. M Averi Gardner scored her first goal of the season. She also had four draw controls, three ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
Jr. M Maddie Shoup scored two goals and had two ground balls.
Gr. A Kendall Havill earned the Buffs two points from one goal and one assist.
Jr. M Lily Assini scored one goal, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
So. A Teagan Ryan scored one goal and had one ground ball.
Gr. A Madeline Pisani totaled four points from one goal and three assists.
Sr. D Katie McLean led the game in caused turnovers with four, matching her previous record for caused turnovers in a single game. She also had two ground balls.
Jr. M Molly Reed scored one goal and had four draw controls.
Jr. D Jess Peluso led the game with five draw controls. She also had three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Fr. GK Elena Oh had four saves, saving .308, and So. A Jaimey Hill assisted one goal.
Jr. D Mary Carson had two ground balls and one caused turnover.
For the Pioneers, Lauren Black, Olivia Ripple and Caroline Bowers each had two goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Denver started the game with a 3-0 run in the first eight minutes of the game. Gardner put a stop to Denver's momentum with a coast-to-coast run resulting in her first goal of the season at 5:47 (DU 3-1). Ryan added to the Buffs' score with a goal assisted by Pisani at 3:50. The Buffs shut the Pioneers out for the last half of the first quarter, ending down by one (DU 3-2).
Both teams came out strong to start the second quarter, with Denver scoring first. Shoup responded with a goal of her own, assisted by Havill at 11:54 (DU 4-3). Shoup didn't settle for just one goal; she quickly returned the ball to the back of the Pioneers' net on a free position shot to tie the game up at 11:25 (4-4). Denver responded with two goals of their own to bring the score to 6-4, but the Buffs cut their lead to one with an Assini goal at 3:47 to end the quarter with the Pioneers up 6-5.
Denver kicked off the third quarter with a quick goal, bringing their lead to 7-5. After eight minutes of back and forth, McLean caused a turnover that ultimately led to a Havill goal assisted by Pisani (DU 7-6). The Pioneers responded with a goal of their own, and after another few minutes of hard-fought play, the quarter ended with Denver up, 8-6.
The Buffs started the fourth quarter with a strong defensive effort, and after a caused turnover by Assini, Colorado attack was able to capitalize with a goal from Pisani to bring the Buffs within one (DU 8-7). A series of turnovers kept the Buffs and the Pioneers neck and neck, but Denver broke through at 4:27, scoring a goal to extend their lead by two (DU 9-7). Colorado wasn't done yet; Reed responded with a goal assisted by Hill with 3:30 left in the game. Ultimately, the Pioneers secured the 9-8 win.

UP NEXT:

The Buffs host their last regular season home game against UC Davis for Senior Day on Sunday, April 20, at Prentup Field. 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.
Whidden on celebrating the seniors this Sunday: "This has been a great class, and we have a great group back in our fifth years, too. A lot of people to celebrate. We're still fighting to play in the conference tournament, so the best thing this team can focus on is trying to get the win so that we can extend this season a little bit longer for these guys who have given so much to this program, been unselfish and sacrificed a lot so that different people get different opportunities. The best thing we can do is get out there and play as hard as we can for 60 minutes for them."

MATCH NOTES:

CU moves to 128-74 (.634) all-time and 4-3 in home games this season.
The Buffs are now 1-1 against Big East teams this season and 4-8 against Denver all-time.

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

Maddie Shoup

Kendall Havill

Averi Gardner

Molly Reed

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Mary Carson

Averi Gardner

Kendall Havill

Jaimey Hill

Katie McLean

Elena Oh

Jess Peluso

Madeline Pisani

Molly Reed

Teagan Ryan

Maddie Shoup

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Mary Carson

Averi Gardner

Kendall Havill

Jaimey Hill

Katie McLean

Elena Oh

Jess Peluso

Madeline Pisani

Molly Reed

Teagan Ryan

Maddie Shoup