DURANGO, Colo. – Leading 7-5 after one half of action, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team outscored Fort Lewis College 8-2 in the third quarter to claim a 16-10 road win Friday afternoon. The win marked the Mountain Lions second win of the season and their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 16, Fort Lewis 10
Records: UCCS (2-6, 1-1 RMAC), Fort Lewis (0-6, 0-3 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Ray Dennison Memorial Stadium | Durango, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions are 6-2 all-time against the Skyhawks, and have won the last six matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Just sixty-one seconds from the opening draw, Sydnee-Anne Moeller passed from the left center of the attacking zone to a cutting Ava Goodnature who put the ball in the back of the net for a 1-0 UCCS lead. Hayley Dotsie scored the first five goals for the Skyhawks this afternoon, with her first score of the game coming 33 seconds after Goodnature's goal to knot the game at 1-1.
- Olivia Evans gave UCCS the lead back at 11:23 before a FLC turnover was captured by Madison McGriff who ignited the ensuing attack that led to Allie Schell's first goal of the game. Julia Patrick took advantage of UCCS competing with an extra player on the field to score a goal with 3:15 left in the opening stanza, giving UCCS a 4-3 lead after one quarter.
- Fannin, who entered the scoring column with an assist to Schell in the first quarter, put two goals in the back of the net four minutes into the second quarter. Six minutes later, Schell capped off a two-plus minute possession by the Mountain Lions when she converted on a free-position goal at 6:12, separating the Mountain Lions from FLC by four goals, 7-3. The home team ended the first half with two goals from Dotsie, cutting into UCCS' lead at halftime, 7-5.
- The Mountain Lions came out firing in the second half, scoring the first five goals of the third quarter. Patrick, Evans and Fannin each netted a pair of goals to highlight the Mountain Lions eight-goal quarter. Fannin's last goal of the quarter gave UCCS their largest lead of the game, 15-6. Evans closed out the fourth frame when she slashed into the attacking zone after taking a pass from Evans from behind the goal line to seal the win with five minutes left in regulation.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- The Mountain Lions fired off 27 shots against the Skyhawks with 22 landing on goal. FLC bested UCCS in shot attempts (32) but put one less on frame (21).
- UCCS was successful on 19 of their 20 clear attempts, while the home team held the advantage on draw controls (17-13) and ground balls (29-21).
- The Mountain Lions offense was led by Fannin and Schell each notching five points. Fannin and Evans scored a team high four goals while Schell connected for a game high three assists. Evans added a team high six shots to go with two ground balls.
- Erica Rivera and Patrick combined to win nine of the Mountain Lions 13 draws, winning five and four draws each, respectively.
- FLC's Dotsie led both teams with seven goals and 12 shot attempts.
- McGriff earned her second win between the posts this season after collecting 11 saves.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UCCS' seven assists this afternoon marked a season high.
- Three Mountain Lions carded hat tricks today. Patrick earned her fourth hat trick of the season as Fannin tallied her second this year.
- Not only did Evans score her first goal of the season against the Skyhawks, but she also netted the game-winning goal, her first hat trick of the season, and a career high four goals.
- McGriff has picked up 109 ground balls in four years, the third most all-time. Through just eight games this season, she has made 96 saves, the fourth most by a Mountain Lion in a season, and she is just 43 saves away from tying her own school record for most saves in a season (139), set in 2022.
- Patrick is ranked in the top-10 in multiple career categories, including points (eighth, 82, goals (seventh, 63), assists (eighth, 19), shots (eighth, 129), and shots on goals (eighth, 100).
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will play at Colorado State University Pueblo on Sunday at 2 p.m.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
