DENVER, Colo. – Earning their highest seed ever in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament, the No. 2 seed University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's lacrosse team fell to No. 3 seed Westminster University Thursday night in the semifinal round, 13-10. No. 1 seed Regis University is hosting the three-game tournament in Denver, Colo., and will now face the Griffins in Saturday's championship game.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: L, 10-13
- Records: UCCS (10-6, 8-2 RMAC) | WU (10-5, 7-3 RMAC)
- Facility: RU Turf Fields | Denver, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 9-7 all-time against Westminster, including wins in five of the last seven meetings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: WU 5, UCCS 2
- Westminster jumped out to an early 2–0 lead in the second semifinal matchup. Holly Shoughro opened the scoring, collecting her own rebound and converting on her second shot attempt. After UCCS won the draw control, a turnover and foul gave Grace Szwedko a free-position opportunity, which she capitalized on to extend the lead.
- The Mountain Lions answered with a player-up, free-position goal from Sofia Watts. However, another turnover led to a Westminster goal by Shaina Shoughro. UCCS showed patience on offense, working the ball around the 12-meter before Sydnee-Anne Moeller connected with Charlotte Fannin, who finished a cutting move from the right side with a turnaround, underhand shot at the 4:22 mark. Pulling within one at 3–2, UCCS then saw Westminster respond with two goals in under a minute to close the quarter ahead 5–2.
SECOND QUARTER: UCCS 3, WU 3
- UCCS struck first in the second quarter, capitalizing on a Westminster shot clock violation. The Mountain Lions quickly transitioned upfield, where Charlotte Fannin found Allison Hoffman for her first career playoff goal.
- Westminster responded behind Shaina Shoughro, who completed her hat trick at the 11:04 mark, followed by another Griffin goal to push the lead to 7–3. Watts ended a 10-minute scoring drought for UCCS by scooping up a loose ball in front of the net and finishing, but Westminster answered just 20 seconds later after regaining possession off the draw to restore a four-goal advantage.
- With 1:10 remaining in the half, Rylie Maready found Ella Mills open in front of the cage. Mills converted through heavy defensive pressure, trimming the deficit to 8–5 heading into halftime.
THIRD QUARTER: WU 3, UCCS 2
- Westminster struck quickly to open the second half, as Olivia Petrosky found the back of the net just 35 seconds in. Trailing 9–5, UCCS responded after Josie Leonard scooped up a ground ball following a failed Griffin clear. Leonard then finished the play off a pass from Brielle Fannin to record the Mountain Lions' sixth goal.
- UCCS continued to build momentum on the next possession. Ella Mills' free-position shot was initially saved, but Charlotte Fannin secured the rebound and fed it back to Mills, who converted to cut the deficit to 9–7. However, a turnover on the ensuing clear allowed Westminster to capitalize, pushing the lead back to three with a goal at the 7:00 mark.
- The Mountain Lions answered quickly. Following a green card issued to Westminster and a brief stoppage for substitutions, UCCS regained possession in their offensive half. Sofia Watts then powered through traffic, flicking in a shot while surrounded by defenders to bring UCCS within two once again, 10–8, heading into the last stanza.
FOURTH QUARTER: WU 3, UCCS 2
- Westminster extended its lead early in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in the opening four minutes to go ahead 12–8. The Mountain Lions continued to fight back and took advantage of a Griffin turnover, as Jade Wilson carried the ball from deep in UCCS territory all the way downfield and finished for her first goal of the season with 8:25 remaining.
- UCCS had an opportunity to build on the momentum with a free-position attempt, but Westminster goalkeeper Kaelyn Hart came up with a key save. The Griffins quickly transitioned the other way, where Olivia Petrosky netted her fifth goal of the game to stretch the lead to 13–9.
- Brielle Fannin later converted a free-position shot to bring UCCS within three, 13–10, with 3:54 left. The Mountain Lions had one final chance on a free-position attempt with 1:26 remaining, but Hart delivered another crucial save to secure Westminster's victory and a spot in the championship game, handing UCCS a 13–10 loss.
FINAL SCORE: WU 13, UCCS 10
GAME STATISTICS
- Watts led the offensive unit with three goals, five shots and five shots on goal.
- Charlotte Fannin accounted for two assists and a goal, as her sister, Brielle, added one goal and an assist.
- Five of Mills' six shots landed on frame as she finished the night with two goals and four ground balls.
- Wilson won a game high eight draws and added five ground balls and caused two turnovers.
- Delaney Gnos played nearly 40 minutes in goal, making three saves and allowing eight goals.
- The Griffins' Hart stopped 11 shots on goal for a .524 save percentage.
- Three Westminster players recorded hat tricks, led by Petrosky's five-goal performance.
- The Griffins held the advantage over UCCS in shots (30-23), shots on goal (16-13), ground balls (21-18), and caused turnovers (10-8.
- UCCS won 15 of the 25 draws tonight and were successful on 12-of-16 clear attempts.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The is the first time UCCS and Westminster have faced off against each other on a neutral site field, and the first time playing with each other in the postseason.
- Watts recorded her sixth hat trick of the season and the 14th of her career.
- Tonight's 21 turnovers committed by the Mountain Lions tie a season high, matching the 21 turnovers they posted at Westminster on March 13.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions, ranked No. 6 in this week's NCAA Midwest Regional poll, will away the final selections for the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Sunday, May 3.
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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.
