COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team extends their winning streak to four consecutive games after dominating Colorado State Pueblo 17-12 inside Mountain Lion Stadium Sunday afternoon. Freshman Ella Mills and Sophomore Sofia Watts each secured their third hat trick of the season against the ThunderWolves.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: W, 17-12
- Records: UCCS (5-4, 3-1 RMAC) | CSUP (4-5, 1-2 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Stadium | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: Today's game was the 14th matchup between UCCS and Colorado State Pueblo in school history. With today's victory, the Mountain Lions are now 11-3 all-time and extend their winning streak to 11 consecutive games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: UCCS 5, CSUP 3
- CSUP started off strong by winning the first draw control and pushing the Mountain Lions back into their defensive territory. Sienna Rinn fired a shot towards goal, but hit the post and bounced away before Danica Rodriguez picked up the ground ball and sprinted up the field. Both teams battled for the following three minutes until Allie Schell connected with Ella Mills for the first goal of the afternoon. Capitalizing on their momentum, UCCS forced the ThunderWolves back into their defensive half. After calmly possessing the ball around for a minute, Mills buried a shot past Breonna Mason and earned the Mountain Lions a 2-0 lead. The ensuing three minutes proved to be an attacking struggle on both sides, but as 6:40 struck the clock, Sofia Watts blasted a shot into the top right corner of the net and forced CSUP to trail by three. In response, Rinn won the next draw control and slipped a pass to Emily Doane, who went on to secure the first ThunderWolf goal of the game. Not even a minute later, Julia Hoffman lobbed a pass to Brielle Fannin to collect a player-up goal and earn a 4-1 lead. Back on the attack yet again with three minutes remaining in the first half, Charlotte Fannin found Mills on the back-post and set her up for a hat trick. Down by four goals, Ainsley Jackson received a pass by Reese Wasmund from behind the goal and smashed a shot past Delaney Gnos. Fouls on two Mountain Lion players resulted in another goal-scoring opportunity for the ThunderWolves, as Rinn closed the gap to two goals with an impressive shot towards the lower left corner of the net.
SECOND QUARTER: CSUP 4, UCCS 2
- Charlotte Fannin immediately put the Mountain Lions back on the attack with a stunning goal just a minute and a half into the second quarter. Maelynn Saucedo won the ensuing draw control and pushed the ThunderWolves up the field, but could not secure a goal before the shot clock ran out. With 12:03 on the clock, CSUP earned a free position, but could not get the ball past Gnos' stellar save. Two ThunderWolf players received penalties moments later, giving Watts the opportunity to secure her second player-up goal of the afternoon. After Kenzie Carpio forced a turnover, the Pack barrelled down the field. Rinn collected the ball and turned a Mountain Lion defender for a quick shot, slipping the ball past Gnos' stick and closing the scoring gap to three points. With five minutes remaining in the second quarter, CSUP earned a free position. Hillary Grehan lined up for the shot and blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the goal, collecting her 10th goal of the season. 30 seconds later, Rinn deceived two UCCS defenders and buried a shot past Gnos, bringing the ThunderWolves within one goal of the Mountain Lions. Ellen Gernert checked into the game at goalkeeper and made an impressive save moments later, but could not stop Sydney Gunnels' free position goal to equalize the score, 7-7.
THIRD QUARTER: UCCS 5, CSUP 3
- The ThunderWolves won the first draw control of the second half and drove into Mountain Lion defensive territory, but were quickly put back on defense as Josie Leonard grabbed a ground ball and sprinted up the field. Watts and Allison Hoffman each secured a goal within the next minute, earning UCCS a 9-7 lead. With 11:43 on the clock, CSUP drew a free position and allowed Jackson to record the first Thunderwolf goal of the second half. Mills attempted to widen the gap as she blasted a shot towards goal, but Mason skillfully blocked the ball and the Pack continued to trail by a single goal. Moments later, Watts drew a foul and lined up for the free position, scoring her fourth goal of the game with a powerful shot towards the lower left corner of the net. Three minutes passed with back-and-forth action before Doane beat a Mountain Lion defender one-on-one and slipped a shot past Gnos' stick, bringing CSUP within one point. However, UCCS answered immediately with Watts' fifth goal of the afternoon after connecting with Julia Hoffman's no-look pass. With 2:27 on the clock, Rylie Maready fired a free position shot but could not get the ball past Mason's quick block. Audrey Allendorf grabbed the ground ball and pushed CSUP up the field, lobbing a pass to unmarked Rinn just a few yards away from the goal. Logging a player-down goal, Rinn brought the score to 10-11 and encouraged the Pack to collect one more goal before the final break. Their hopes of equalizing the score were squashed as Leonard scored an impressive goal with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER: UCCS 5, CSUP 2
- CSUP quickly found themselves on defense once again as the fourth quarter began. The first successful sister-to-sister connection occurred just 50 seconds after the break with Brielle Fannin finding Charlotte Fannin front-post for the goal. Ahead by three points already, Mills decided to make it four by spinning a CSUP defender and slipping a shot past Mason's stick. More than three minutes passed with minimal action, until Watts secured her sixth goal of the game for a double hat trick and earned UCCS a 15-10 lead. From behind the net, Charlotte Fannin lobbed a pass to Mills, who went on to log a player-down goal as she buried a shot past Mason's left shoulder. With 3:29 on the clock, Doane stole the show as she barreled down the field and cut a Mountain Lion defender to blast a shot past Gnos' right leg. With a comfortable 16-11 lead, Jade Wilson committed a foul and gave the Pack a free position. Wasmund capitalized on the opportunity and smashed a shot between Gernert's legs, bringing the score within four. Allison Hoffman was hungry for her second goal as she sprinted down the field with seconds left on the clock and ripped a shot into the top right corner of the net, securing a final Mountain Lion goal with less than a second remaining in regulation. The score reflected a 17-12 victory for UCCS as the final whistle blew.
FINAL SCORE: UCCS 17, CSUP 12
GAME STATISTICS
- The Mountain Lions were led by Sofia Watts' six goals, 12 shots, and two ground balls. Ella Mills chipped in five goals, eight shots, and two ground balls while Charlotte Fannin and Allison Hoffman each scored two goals and logged three shots on goal.
- Brielle Fannin recorded four assists, Charlotte Fannin logged three assists, and Allie Schell and Julia Hoffman each secured two assists against the ThunderWolves.
- UCCS held the advantage in goals (17-12), assists (12-1), shots (37-28), shots on goal (23-16), and ground balls (30-23) while successfully clearing 19-of-21 attempts. CSUP held the advantage in draw controls (21-11) while successfully clearing 18-of-19 attempts.
- Emily Doane led CSUP with three goals, six shots, two ground balls, and two draw controls. Ainsley Jackson, Sienna Rinn, and Sophia Rinn each logged two goals.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This afternoon's matchup marked the third consecutive game that both Freshman Ella Mills and Sophomore Sofia Watts have secured a hat trick.
- Sofia Watts currently ranks No. 3 within the RMAC for goals scored per game, logging 26 goals across nine games (2.89 goals per game).
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will compete against Regis at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 at Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
SOCIAL
X –
@GoMountainLions
Instagram –
@gomountainlions
Facebook – /
GoMountainLions
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to
gomountainlions.com.
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.
