PUEBLO, Colo. – A balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive performance led the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team to their second straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win after earning a 23-12 road victory over Colorado State University Pueblo. The Mountain Lions were led by
Julia Patrick's 11-point, eight shot attempts performance.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 23, CSU Pueblo 12
Records: UCCS (3-6, 2-1 RMAC), CSUP (1-7, 0-4 RMAC)
Facility | Location: Gonzales Stadium | Pueblo, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions have won the last five games to take a 5-3 all-time series lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Peyton Ross claimed the opening draw as the Mountain Lions took a 1-0 lead 39 seconds into the game when Brielle Fannin connected with Ava Goodnature. After a CSU Pueblo goal knotted the game at 1-1, Patrick scored her first of seven goals when she found the back of the net from a free-position play. Fannin tabbed her second assist of the game when she found Allie Schell 10 feet in front of the goal on the left side just five minutes from the start of the game for a 3-1 UCCS lead.
- Patrick netted her second goal of the game on a free-position goal that saw her side-step to the right around the goalie, only 30 seconds before Schell chipped in her second goal of the game from Brennan Kelly's dime.
- After the Pack called a timeout, the home team netted two goals to cut into the Mountain Lions lead, 5-3, with 4:46 left in the first quarter. McGriff made a tough save and helped UCCS push the ball down the field. The offensive drive was capped off by Schell's third score of the game when she drove down the center of the attack zone. Patrick matched Schell's goal outage when she converted on a player-up goal at 3:17. Leading 7-4 with 1:34 left in the opening frame, McGriff picked up a shot attempt and again ignited an offensive attack as Patrick controlled the ball and made a spin move from the top of zone for the score. Meghan Weiss closed the quarter with a free position goal and 34 ticks on the clock, boosting UCCS' lead to 9-4 after 15 minutes of action.
- UCCS' momentum continued into the second quarter. Following a quick ThunderWolves goal, the Mountain Lions offense moved the ball around the attack zone, setting up a direct shot into the back of net by Patrick from eight meters out. Sydnee-Anne Moeller assisted on Brenna Kelly's goal who took a right-handed shot for an 11-5 lead. Patrick added the Mountain Lions second straight player-up goal with 10:48 left in the half as UCCS rolled to a 15-9 lead at intermission.
- The Mountain Lions dominated in the third quarter to separate from the home team, outscoring CSU Pueblo 8-3 in the second half, including a 6-1 advantage in the third quarter.
- Ross' goal at 9:15 in the third quarter gave UCCS a running clock with a 19-9 lead. A quick answer from the Pack's Kate Broom cut the lead back down to nine goals, but the Mountain Lions continued the pressure and rattled off four straight goals for their largest lead of the game, 23-10, with 11:10 left in regulation.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- UCCS was outshot, 36-31, but landed 26 shots on goal, bettering the Pack's 19 shots on goal performance.
- The Mountain Lions were successful on 19-of-25 clears and picked up 12 ground balls, but the Pack were effective on the draw controls, winning 24 of the 39 draws.
- Patrick led both teams behind an 11-point performance as she netted 11 goals and assisted on four. She added eight shots, two draws and was 1-for-1 on free-position attempts.
- Fannin and Schell jumped in the scoring action with four goals apiece. Fannin added three assists and six shots, while Schell registered four shots and one assist.
- Goodnature, Watts and Kelly also accounted for a multiple goal game, netting two goals each.
- Eight Mountain Lions caused nine turnovers behind Ross' team high two.
- McGriff notched a team high three ground balls while making seven saves for her third win between the posts.
- The Pack's Kate Broom led her team with four goals and eight shots.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions finished today's conference win with 23 goals, 12 assists and 35 points. The 23 goals are the most ever scored in program history, while the 35 points ties a school record.
- Patrick's 11 points ties Hannah Mill for the program record for most points scored in a game. Her seven goals are the second most scored in a game, and her four assists are the third most.
- Patrick posted her fifth hat trick of the season and the seventh of her career, while Fannin and Schell claimed their fourth and third hat tricks this season, respectively.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions return home April 6 and April 8 to play host to Westminster College and Colorado Mesa University. Both games are slated to start at 1 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.
