COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team was defeated at home 13-10 by McKendree on Sunday afternoon, despite a strong comeback in the second half. 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP 

• Final Score: L, 13-10 
• Records: UCCS (1-2, 0-0 RMAC) | MU (4-1, 0-0 GLVC) 
• Facility | Location: Mountain Lion Stadium | Colorado Springs, Colo. 
• All-Time Series: This afternoon's game was the first match up between UCCS and McKendree in school history. With today's loss, the Mountain Lions are now 0-1 all-time. 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
FIRST QUARTER: MU 6, UCCS 1 

• MU started off strong by earning the first draw control of the game and burying their first goal just 45 seconds into regulation. Two minutes later, Elora Waardenburg earned the Bearcats a 2-0 lead, mirroring her first goal of the game. After assisting the previous play, Ariyah LaFrance connected with Lexi Macleod, who buried a shot past Delaney Gnos to put UCCS in a three-point deficit with 12 minutes left in the first quarter. Forced to take a timeout to regroup, the Mountain Lions came out of their huddle with some fiery energy as Jade Wilson won the following draw control and propelled UCCS up the field, but was ultimately unsuccessful in closing the gap. Moments later, Waardenburg scored her third goal of the game, collecting a hat trick and putting MU ahead 4-0. It was not long before the Bearcats were passing the ball around again in UCCS defensive territory and LaFrance had the opportunity to record her second goal of the afternoon. Down by five, the Mountain Lions drew a free position after Lauren Blackburn logged a yellow card. Rylie Maready drove towards the net as soon as the whistle blew and blasted a shot towards the lower right corner of the net, but it was skillfully saved by Amber Hayden. Allison Hoffman had the chance to score a few seconds later, but her shot bounced off the goal post and the Bearcats quickly put UCCS back on defense. Needing to shake things up, Ellen Gernert checked into the game for Gnos with 6:53 left on the clock. After an uneventful few minutes, Sofia Watts grabbed a ground ball and drove up the field before connecting with Allison Hoffman, who went on to smash a shot ten yards out and log the first Mountain Lion goal. With two minutes left before the break, Jayden Barnden responded by taking the ball coast-to-coast and securing a 6-1 lead over UCCS. 

SECOND QUARTER: UCCS 4, MU 2

• With momentum on the Bearcat side, LaFrance slammed a shot on goal but was impressively saved by Gernert. After bouncing around, Allison Hoffman picked up a ground ball and sprinted into MU defensive territory. As Ella Mills collected the ball, she pulled a spin-move on a Bearcat defender and shot towards the center of the net, but could not slip the ball past Hayden. Moments later, a UCCS defender was forced to turnover the ball which was picked up by Barnden, who went on to lob a pass to LaFrance. Beating a defender out wide, LaFrance collected a hat trick and earned MU a 7-1 lead. In an immediate response, Allison Hoffman barrelled down the field and slotted a pass back-post, reaching Rylie Maready for her first goal of the game. Bursting with energy on the sideline now, Charlotte Fannin raced into MU's defensive area and cut between multiple defenders to earn her fourth goal of the season and close the gap in points to four. The Mountain Lions' momentum was cut short by Elle Garriock's stunning goal as she blasted the ball past Gernert's left leg. However, UCCS was quickly celebrating once again as Julia Hoffman came from behind the goal and buried a shot into the top right corner of the net, logging her first goal of the season and closing MU's lead to 8-4. In a last-ditch effort to score one more point before halftime, Watts took advantage of a free position and slipped a shot past Hayden's stick, securing UCCS' fifth goal of the afternoon. 

THIRD QUARTER: UCCS 2, MU 2

• With nearly four minutes passing before any action, Mackenzie Stroisch committed a foul and Rylie Maready stepped up to the plate, securing her second goal of the game and bringing the Mountain Lions within two. Kendra Knutson forced a turnover seconds later before connecting with Mills, who went on to blast a shot but was ultimately unsuccessful. In response, the Bearcats drove up the field and secured another goal immediately as Macleod found LaFrance wide open front-post. Down 9-6, Brielle Fannin found herself taking the shot in a free position with 5:37 left on the clock, but was saved by Hayden. After bouncing around in front of the net, Charlotte Fannin grabbed the ground ball and slipped a pass to Mills for a second shot, but could not secure UCCS' seventh goal of the game. A minute later, Charlotte Fannin brought the score within two after collecting the ball from a flat run and smashing a shot past Hayden. As MU barreled down the field and created an attacking play of their own, LaFrance answered with her fifth goal of the game and secured a 10-7 lead just before the final break. 

FOURTH QUARTER: UCCS 3, MU 3 

• Allison Hoffman put UCCS back on offense immediately after the fourth quarter began and scored her second goal of the game, closing the deficit to just two goals. 60 seconds later, Charlotte Fannin secured a hat trick by deceiving a defender one-on-one and smashing a low shot past Hayden's right ankle. The Bearcats called a timeout to reorganize and came out stronger, as Keely Blanchette grabbed a ground ball and jump-started another attacking-play by connecting with Garriock for MU's 11th goal of the afternoon. The Bearcats won the ensuing draw control and drove back into Mountain Lions defensive territory, forcing UCCS to give up a 12th goal, impressively placed by Stroisch. The following six minutes resulted in a mass of turnovers on both sides and zero goals, until Julia Hoffman logged her second collegiate goal by picking up a ground ball just inches from the net and slamming a shot past Hayden. With 43 seconds remaining in regulation, Barnden cemented MU's 13-10 victory with her 9th goal of the season and earned the Bearcats a four-game winning streak. 

FINAL SCORE: MU 13, UCCS 10


GAME STATISTICS 

• The Mountain Lions were led by Charlotte Fannin's three goals, five shots, and six ground balls. Rylie Maready, Allison Hoffman, and Julia Hoffman each chipped in two goals while Sofia Watts logged one goal and two ground balls. 
• Allison Hoffman recorded the team's sole assist against MU. 
• Ariyah LaFrance led the Bearcats with five goals, two assists, six shots, and two ground balls. 
• The Mountain Lions were successful on 9-of-11 clears, while MU was successful on 15-of-18 clears. UCCS held the advantage in shots (31-25), free position shots (10-4), and ground balls (30-27). Each team collected 12 ground balls total. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE 

• Freshman Julia Hoffman secured her first collegiate goal against the Bearcats. 
• Redshirt junior Goalkeeper Ellen Gernert checked into her first game of the season, saving three shots and logging a .250 save percentage against MU. 

 
UP NEXT 

• The Mountain Lions will compete in a non-conference game against No. 3 UIndy at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 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.