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The Pioneers extended their winning streak to 10 games after toppling San Diego State 19-6 in a home contest on Monday. Denver also dropped conference rival Stanford 12-9 during Senior Day at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday.
Other than a season-opening loss to No. 19 Johns Hopkins on Feb. 24, the Pioneers (10-1, 4-0 MPSF) have gone undefeated this season, outscoring their opponents 150-83 during the winning streak. The Pioneers are tied for 1st in the MPSF with Oregon (9-4, 4-0 MPSF).
Sophomore attack Jenn Etzel scored two goals and recorded two assists to lead the Pioneers against Stanford, and junior midfielder Mikayla Clark added a hat trick.
“This was a very exciting win for us. Stanford has been one of our top conference opponents for seven years running, so it was a great win,” said head coach Liza Kelly. “We usually have a really good game against Stanford, the top team in the conference, and it’s always exciting to beat a quality opponent.”
Prior to the game, the Pioneers recognized their seniors: midfielder Melissa Maier, attack Becca Steinberg, defensive player Laura Connors and goalkeeper Ashley Harman.
“The girls really made an effort to play hard for our seniors, and I think they did that,” said Kelly. “The team rallied around that group of seniors, and they got that win for them. When there’s a sense of playing for someone else, you always play a little better.”
Adding to the Pioneer offense were redshirt junior Kara Secora, sophomore Meredith Harris, Maier and freshman Jill Remenapp, who each added two points for Denver. Junior Kate Henrich, the nation’s leader in caused turnovers, led the Pioneer defense by forcing six turnovers, picking up five groundballs and snagging four draw controls.
The Pioneers outshot the Cardinal 33-20 and jumped to an early 6-0 lead before Stanford (3-8, 1-1 MPSF) retaliated. The score stood at 8-4 going into halftime. Denver led by at least three goals for the remainder of the game.
On Monday, the Pioneers gave a strong performance to defeat San Diego State 19-6 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. Goalkeepers Ashley Harman and Hannah Hook combined for eight saves as 10 different players scored for Denver.
“Today was awesome, being able to get everybody in the game,” said Kelly. “Everybody off the bench played really well.”
The Pioneer offense was led by sophomore midfielder Gretchen Nace, who netted four goals. Clark added three goals, and Remenapp tallied one goal and two assists.
California road trip
Denver now heads into the final stretch of the regular season with only three games remaining before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament in Palo Alto, Calif., April 27-29. The Pioneers will travel to California to take on conference foes Fresno State on Friday at 4 p.m. and UC Davis on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“This is a tough road trip,” said Kelly. “Both are conference teams, and our goal is to put ourselves in a position to be invited to the MPSF championships.”
Fresno State is 2-7 overall this season and 0-2 in the MPSF, and the Bulldogs have lost their previous four games. The women’s lacrosse program at Fresno State was started only three years ago, and 2012 marks the team’s best season so far.
The Bulldog offense is led by Briana Hetherington and Kara Concheck with 13 and 12 goals, respectively, this season. Starting goalkeeper Megan McGinnis has recorded 85 saves this season.
On Sunday, Denver will take on UC Davis (5-7, 2-2 MPSF). Last Sunday, the Aggies were unable to maintain a 13-10 lead against Oregon and fell 16-13, losing their third consecutive game in just over a week.
UC Davis is led by junior Elizabeth Datino, who has recorded 74 points off 41 goals and 33 assists this season. The Aggies are represented in goal by Jordan Majka, who has recorded 94 saves this season and averages 13.16 goals against.
