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The DU women’s lacrosse team entered its third conference game of the season back on April 10 with a 3-10 overall record and a mere 1-1 record in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The Pioneers pulled off a nail-biting win that afternoon, edging UC Davis 15-14 in overtime behind a historical performance from redshirt sophomore Kara Secora, who finished with 11 total points.
Following that game, the team has rattled off back-to-back wins against Fresno State and Cal, completing its first three-game win streak this season and advancing to 7-10 overall with a strong 4-1 conference record.
Thanks to the streak, the Pioneers have clinched a berth to MPSF tournament, where they lost 11-10 in double overtime of last year’s championship game against Stanford.
Despite a perfect conference record, and a No. 1 overall seed in that tournament, DU was denied a postseason berth to the NCAA tournament.
Although they have struggled this season, the Pioneers are suddenly in contention for the postseason bid that escaped them last season.
They face Oregon in their regular season finale this Saturday with the No. 2 seed in the MPSF tournament on the line. The winner of that tournament gets an automatic bid to the NCAA.
During their current win streak, the Pioneer offense has exploded, carving opponents defenses for a total of 46 goals in three games.
In last weekend’s win over California, the team erupted with two separate five-goal bursts, which proved to be the difference maker in their 13-10 win.
Secora had four points in the win off, with three goals and an assist, while teammate Lauren Ciccomascolo recorded a team-best five points.
Sophomore Alex Befus and freshman Jen Etzel finished with two goals each for DU.
With the postseason only a week a way, the Pioneers conclude their regular season at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday.