The University of Denver women’s lacrosse team ended its season on a high note last weekend, winning two out of three matches to take third place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship in California.
Seeded at No. 3, Denver won its quarterfinal match Thursday against woeful Saint Mary’s College 17-10.
The Pioneers and Gaels traded goals throughout the first half, with the score knotted at seven at halftime. The second half was a different story, as Denver started things off with eight straight goals to go ahead 15-7.
DU’s scoring was well distributed, as eight different players had goals. Steph Greenlees led the Pioneers with four goals, and Crystal Jack chipped in a hat trick.
Tara Bourdelaise, Victoria Baines, Kelly O’Connell, and Kiley Murphy all had two goals. Tanya Fuchs had a goal to go along with her five assists, giving her six points for the game.
The win gave DU a best ever three-game win streak heading into Friday’s semifinal match against No. 2 seeded California. However, the Pioneers came up just short against the Golden Bears, losing 12-9. Denver fell behind early 4-0, but stormed back to tie the score 5-5 at halftime.
The second half started the same way as the first, with Cal scoring four straight goals. Denver stayed within reach throughout the second half, but could get no closer than 11-9.
Kate Broderick had a hat trick, and Jack and Fuchs each had two goals. Goalkeeper Steph Schneider had 11 saves to reach her tournament high.
The first two matches were seesaw contests, and the consolation game did not disappoint either. Denver went up early 3-0 against UC Davis, saw their lead close to 4-3, and scored three straight goals to go up 7-4 at halftime.
The scoring went back and forth in the second half, and DU started to pull away when they took a 10-6 lead.
The Aggies scored two late goals to make things interesting, but the Pioneers held on for a 10-8 win. Greenlees led all scorers with five goals, and O’Connell helped out with two. The win gave DU a record of 8-11, its best since the team was established in 1999.
Although the season is over, second year Head Coach Cathy Nelson Reese has nothing to be ashamed of.
“I am proud of the way we conducted ourselves all year, and I don’t believe our record reflects the amazing talent and growth this team has had,” Reese said. “I am confident that we have established ourselves and that next year we will compete and triumph over the best.”
