The DU women’s lacrosse team was invited to participate in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament on April 28-29 at Stanford University. The tournament featured six teams, including Stanford, University of Southern California (USC), University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Oregon and University of California Davis (UC Davis).
Denver was ranked No. 5 in the group, matching up against No. 4 UC Davis on Thursday, April 28. DU would win the game by a lopsided score of 15-4.
A stifling Denver defense would hold UC Davis scoreless for a 41:17 stretch of the game, with goalkeeper Maddy Stevenson (Bainbridge Island, Washington) making eight total saves on the day.
Dynamo goal-scoring senior captain Christa Reese (Lutherville, Maryland) tallied four goals and also contributed two assists. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Martindale (Brooklin, Ontario) racked up an impressive seven points, featuring a career-high four assists.
UC Davis would take early leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the Pioneers’ dynamic offense soon took over the game. Denver rattled off 13 straight goals, blowing past the Aggies’ defense and controlling the match handily, including owning an 8-2 lead at halftime.
Nine different Pioneers players scored during the game. Once DU had amassed a 14-2 lead in the second half, UC Davis was able to score a couple goals of their own. Denver answered back, finalizing a score of 15-4.
The win advanced Denver on to the next round, where a showdown with undefeated No. 1 seeded USC awaited them. Despite a valiant effort, DU fell short against the Trojans by a final score of 10-5.
The game was closely contested early, as Denver even secured a 2-1 lead when Martindale fired home a free position goal with 18:01 left in the half. Martindale would score again with only six seconds left in the first half, however, it would only cut USC’s lead down to 4-3 heading into the locker room.
The second half painted a brutal scene for the Pioneers. The Trojans came out blazing, scoring four straight goals in the first 10 minutes. While Martindale was then able to secure a hat-trick, USC answered with two more goals, resulting in a 10-4 score.
Denver tacked on another tally, but fell 10-5 in the end. The Trojans were 5/5 on power-play possessions during the game, a facet which DU struggled to defend.
Stevenson tied her career-high in saves with 12. The Pioneers’ other goal-scorers included freshman Elizabeth Behrins (Basking Ridge, New Jersey) and sophomore Riley Eggeman (Mission Viejo, California).
The game against USC concluded DU’s 2016 season, which saw the team finish an even 9-9. With several key members returning next year and the addition of a new freshman class, the Pioneers will look to improve upon a strong 2016 showing next season.
