COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team defeated the Skyhawks 22-7 on Friday evening inside Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., recording their third straight win. Three Mountain Lions collected a hat trick: Ella Mills, Sofia Watts, and Charlotte Fannin.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: W, 22-7
- Records: UCCS (4-4, 2-1 RMAC) | FLC (0-4, 0-2 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Stadium | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: This evening's game was the 14th matchup between UCCS and Fort Lewis in school history. With today's victory, the Mountain Lions are now 12-2 all-time and extend their winning streak to 12 consecutive games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: UCCS 7, FLC 4
- UCCS started on the attack as Rylie Maready won the first draw control and barreled down the field. Connecting with Allison Hoffman before collecting the ball again, Maready fired a shot towards goal, but was unsuccessful as Olivia Tilbury logged her first save of the game. Pushing the Mountain Lions back on defense, Piper Price lobbed a pass to Diamond Velasco, who went on to earn FLC a 1-0 lead. 40 seconds later, Price recorded a goal of her own and forced UCCS to trail by two. Riley Cuddahy logged her first assist of the season as she found Ella Mills back-post for her first player-down goal of the evening. Mills continued to push forward and scored a second player-down goal just 14 seconds later, equalizing the score 2-2. After calling a timeout to reorganize, Jasmine Nguyen won the following draw control and took it coast-to-coast, smashing a shot past Delaney Gnos' stick. Hungry to take the lead, Charlotte Fannin came from behind the net to secure her 10th goal of the season. Back in Skyhawk defensive territory moments later, Katie Silva committed a foul and gave Mills the opportunity to convert a hat trick while simultaneously earning UCCS a single-goal lead. With an abundance of momentum now on their side, the Mountain Lions went on to score three more goals in the following two minutes. However, with 0:57 on the clock, Danica Rodriguez drew a foul, allowing Nguyen to collect one more goal off the free position just before the break.
SECOND QUARTER: UCCS 3, FLC 2
- Already ahead by three, Mills took an early opportunity just 30 seconds after the third quarter began and fired a shot into the top left corner of the net. For the first sister-to-sister connection of the game, Charlotte Fannin slipped a pass to Brielle Fannin from behind the goal and secured a 9-4 lead over FLC. Jade Wilson won the ensuing draw control and sprint down the field, but was cut off by Rilee Powless who forced a turnover and drove the Skyhawks back into Mountain Lion defensive territory. Velasco collected a pass and found Victoria Bartlett near-post, who quickly turned and smashed a shot past Gnos. As three minutes passed with a slew of turnovers and no goals, Allison Hoffman found herself with a free position and slammed a low shot towards Tilbury. However, as the FLC goalkeeper skillfully blocked her shot, UCCS continued to lead 9-5. With 3:35 left on the clock, Charlotte Fannin scored her third goal of the game, collecting a hat trick and forcing FLC to trail by five points. The Skyhawks called a timeout to draw up one last play of the half, and proved effective as the lone freshman starter, Kelcie Bolling, logged her first goal of the evening and cut the Mountain Lions' lead to four.
THIRD QUARTER: UCCS 9, FLC 1
- Julia Hoffman quickly put FLC back on defense as she barreled down the field, defeated two defenders one-on-one, and buried a shot past Tilbury just one minute into the third quarter. Moments later, Brielle Fannin lobbed a pass to wide-open Watts for her second goal of the game. Ahead 12-6, Maddy Tiapa won the following draw control and penetrated Skyhawk defensive territory once again. It was not long before Watts secured a hat trick and earned UCCS a seven-point lead. Over the next two minutes, Watts impressively logged three more goals, forcing FLC to trail 16-6. With 8:48 on the clock, the Skyhawks gained their first possession of the half as Nguyen picked up a ground ball and sprinted up the field. However, their stint was cut short as Allison Hoffman lined up for a free position shot. Slipping the ball between Tilbury's legs, the Mountain Lions gained a 17-6 lead. Charlotte Fannin deceived a FLC defender moments later and buried a shot past Tilbury's stick with three minutes remaining before the final break. The Skyhawks forced UCCS back into their half as 1:44 was left on the clock. Ashley Weiss committed a foul, giving Price a chance to close the scoring gap. Gnos blocked the first shot attempt, but could not block Prince's second opportunity after collecting the rebound and slinging the ball into the lower right corner of the net. Charlotte Fannin responded with a goal of her own just 19 seconds before the third quarter came to an end.
FOURTH QUARTER: UCCS 4, FLC 0
- With a 19-7 lead, Redshirt Junior Ellen Gernert checked into the game at goalkeeper for UCCS. Two and a half minutes passed before any action occurred. After FLC committed another foul, Allison Hoffman lined up for the free position but ricocheted her shot off the post. Four more action-less minutes ensued until Ellia Maready secured her first goal of the season and earned the Mountain Lions a 20-7 lead. Shortly after, Mills logged her fifth goal against the Skyhawks after skillfully beating a defender one-on-one and burying a shot past Tilbury. With 2:56 remaining in regulation, Rylie Maready recorded her first goal of the season as well and sent FLC home with a 22-7 loss on their record.
FINAL SCORE: UCCS 22, FLC 7
GAME STATISTICS
- The Mountain Lions were led by Sofia Watts' six goals, seven shots on goal, and two ground balls. Ella Mills chipped in five goals, six shots on goal, and two ground balls, while Charlotte Fannin logged five goals, one assist, seven shots on goal, five ground balls, and two draw controls.
- UCCS held the advantage in goals (22-7), assists (8-3), shots (43-18), shots on goal (24-12), free position shots (5-3), ground balls (26-25), and draw controls (21-11). The Mountain Lions were successful on 14-of-17 clears, while the Skyhawks were successful on 13-of-19 clears.
- Jasmine Nguyen and Piper Price each scored two goals and collected a single assist for the FLC. Diamond Velasco, Kelcie Bolling, and Victoria Bartletta chipped in one goal.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will compete against Colorado State Pueblo at 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 22 at Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
