COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team handed Northern Michigan University its first loss of the season with an 11-10 victory inside Mountain Lion Stadium.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: W, 11-10
- Records: UCCS (1-1, 0-0 RMAC) | NMU (5-1, 0-0 GLIAC)
- Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Stadium | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: This afternoon's game was the second match-up between UCCS and NMU in school history. The last time the Mountain Lions competed against the Wildcats was in 2020, and with today's victory, they are now 2-0 all-time.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: NMU 3, UCCS 1
- As Josie Leonard won the first draw control of the game, UCCS started off strong and immediately put the Wildcats on defense as they barreled down the left side of the field, but were unsuccessful as Katelyn Wozney grabbed a ground ball with disciplined defending. Danica Rodriguez earned UCCS some more momentum with a ground ball of her own before connecting with Charlotte Fannin, who went on to draw a free position. Heading straight for the goal as the whistle blew, Fannin slotted the ball into the upper right corner of the goal, securing an early lead for the Mountain Lions. Hannah Jabas quickly responded by defeating a UCCS defender 1-on-1 and burying the ball past Delaney Gnos' right leg, tying up the score. Although Leonard won the following draw control, it was not long before Jabas scored another goal, mirroring her previous play almost identically. With eight minutes remaining before the break, Leonard drew UCCS another free control, but Lauren Esposito skillfully blocked her shot and quickly put the Mountain Lions back on defense. As Lauren lobbed a long ball to Vanessa Carrico, she went on to score the Wildcats' third goal of the game, forcing the Mountain Lions to trail by two. After back-and-forth action and disruptive turnovers on both ends, Leonard logged one last shot attempt with less than a minute before the break but could not close the gap before the first quarter came to an end.
SECOND QUARTER: UCCS 6, NMU 1
- Twenty seconds into the second quarter, Annabelle Johnson connected with Avery Lorinser before scoring NMU's fourth goal of the afternoon and gaining a comfortable lead. However, Sofia Watts refused to back down and won the following draw control, racing down the left side of the field and forcing Josie Lakosky to draw a green card. Now up a player, Allison Hoffman scored UCCS' second goal against the Wildcats. With newfound energy on their side, the Mountain Lions sprinted into NMU defensive territory yet again and allowed Allison Hoffman to collect her second consecutive goal just 70 seconds later, burying the ball past Esposito's left shoulder. The Wildcats flew down the right side of the field in a desperate attempt to keep their lead, but were unsuccessful as Rodriguez forced them to turn over the ball. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Allie Schell found wide-open Ella Mills from behind the goal, who went on to smash the ball past Esposito and tie the score, 4-4. Less than two minutes later, Mills collected her second goal of the game after Fannin chucked a long pass to her up the field, earning the Mountain Lions a single-goal lead and forcing NMU to call a timeout to regroup. With 7:06 on the clock, Allison Hoffman whipped a shot towards goal on a free position attempt, but was ricochetted off a Wildcat defender's side. As the ball was passed back into play, Mills collected the ball and scored her third goal of the game, securing a hat trick and earning the Mountain Lions a 6-4 lead. 65 seconds later, Watts took advantage of being a player-up and weaved through three NMU defenders before slipping the ball between Esposito's legs. Although both teams had scoring opportunities over the next six minutes, UCCS remained ahead by three goals heading into halftime.
THIRD QUARTER: UCCS 3, NMU 3
- The Mountain Lions earned a free position attempt two minutes into the third quarter, of which Rylie Maready was able to capitalize on and secure her first goal of the season. Mills earned a free position attempt of her own moments later and recorded her fourth goal of the afternoon after smashing the ball past Esposito's left leg. In an attempt to close the five-goal gap, Katelyn Wozney logged her first goal of the season as NMU calmly possessed the ball in UCCS' defensive territory before finding her for a near-post shot. With seven minutes remaining before the break, the Mountain Lions forced Evita Meiche to turn over the ball near midfield with impenetrable defending. Finding themselves back on offense, Maready buried a shot past Esposito to record her second goal of the game and earn UCCS a 10-5 lead. Winning the ensuing draw control, the Mountain Lions forced the Wildcats back on defense yet again. Fannin found herself in a 1-on-1 situation with Esposito, but sailed her shot just wide of the goal. Finally able to find themselves in an attacking position, Carrico collected her 15th goal of the season by securing a player-up goal with 4:12 left on the clock. As the action went up and down the field over the next three minutes, Johnson scored her second goal of the season by finding the ball back-post and slotting it just past Gnos' right ankle. The Wildcats trailed by three goals heading into the final break.
FOURTH QUARTER: NMU 3, UCCS 1
- Attempting to get some energy on their side again, Carrico had an early shot but could not penetrate Gnos' impressive block. As the ball fumbled around in front of the net, Johnson capitalized on the opportunity and brought the score within two. With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Maready travelled to the right side of the field and blasted a shot towards goal, but hit the left post before Esposito grabbed the ball and propelled her team up the field. The ensuing seven minutes resulted in a scoring drought for both teams until Johnson was able to collect another goal for NMU after Avery Lorinser's free-position shot was blocked and picked up by Jabas. Now ahead by just a single goal, UCCS was forced to make a big play as Allison Hoffman bolted into Wildcat defensive territory. Lobbing a pass towards the back-post, Watts connected on the other end and slipped a shot just behind Esposito, earning the Mountain Lions an 11-9 lead. With 40 seconds left on the clock, Lackosky secured a sneaky goal for NMU before calling a timeout to strategize how to capitalize on one more attacking play. As the final seconds began to count down, the Wildcats won the final draw control and cleared a shot attempt but were ultimately unsuccessful and were handed their first loss of the season.
FINAL SCORE: UCCS 11, NMU 10
GAME STATISTICS
- The Mountain Lions were led by Ella Mills' four goals, four shots on goal, and one ground ball.
- Rylie Maready, Sofia Watts, and Allison Hoffman each chipped in two goals while Charlotte Fannin logged three assists and six ground balls.
- Delaney Gnos made six saves for a .375 save percentage.
- Annabelle Johnson led Northern Michigan with three goals, one assist, and three shots on goal, while Evita Weiche collected five ground balls.
- UCCS was successful on 13-of-14 clears, while the Wildcats were successful on all 19 clear attempts. The Mountain Lions held an advantage over NMU in shots (30-19) and draw controls (18-5).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- UCCS recorded several season highs today, including points (16), goals (11), shots (30), shots on goal (19), and caused turnovers.
- Mills' hat trick of four goals marked a UCCS season high.
- Charlotte Fannin collected a season high of six ground balls.
- Goalkeeper Delaney Gnos recorded her second career win in goal.
- With this afternoon's victory, the Mountain Lions shattered the Wildcats' previously undefeated 5-0 record.
- UCCS held Northern Michigan to eight fewer goals than their season average of 18 per game.
- Rylie Maready scored her first goal of the season against the Wildcats.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will compete in a non-conference game against Rockhurst at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 6 inside the 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.
