Denver’s third-ranked women’s club lacrosse team is on the brink of receiving yet another National Tournament bid.

Despite falling 10-5 to the University of Utah this past weekend during Regionals, the Pioneers have maintained their no. 3 ranking throughout the season, and compiled a 8-3 regular season record. Within its respective league (Rocky Mountain Women’s Lacrosse League East II), Denver finished with a 3-1 record, behind only the Air Force Academy.

The top 12 teams in the nation will compete at the Women’s Club Lacrosse Association (WCLA) Division II Tournament held May 6-9 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The Pioneers hit the ground running to open their season. Denver played the two top-ranked teams in the nation, first against Utah (no. 2) and then Duke University (no. 1). Both Utah and Duke dominated Denver, trouncing the Pioneers 14-3 and 15-5, respectively. Duke has not lost a game yet this year. The Pioneers showed noticeable improvement from the team’s previous loss to Utah, this time falling by only five points.

Following two consecutive opening losses, the Pioneers responded with a six-game win streak, which was highlighted by an 11-10 win over sixth-ranked Concordia University Irvine. It was Concordia’s only loss of the season. The win streak was snapped after Air Force beat Denver by a 9-8 margin.

Last year, the team earned a 7-2 regular season record, and finished the tournament as the seventh-ranked team in the nation.

“If we receive the bid to Nationals, it will be a great weekend of lacrosse,” said captain and senior defender Megan Dekutoski. “There are a lot of competitive teams in our division, but we have the ability to play with them and hopefully finish nationals in the top five.”