What a season it was for the University of Denver women’s lacrosse team.
From winning a program-record 22 games in a row to Big East champions to having the No. 1 defense in the country, this season will not be forgotten any time soon.
“I’m just so proud of everything this team has done, in particular the senior class,” Head Coach Liza Kelly explained. “They have led us every step of the way with their heart, their work, their passion, their love for all things Denver and they have left an incredible legacy behind them.”
It was a heartbreaking end, though, as the No. 5 seed Denver fell to the No. 1 seed Northwestern University in the semifinal matchup. The top-ranked defense in the country in Denver and the top-ranked offense in Northwestern clashed Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats outpaced and outscored DU, 15-7.
Denver’s offense was potent in the first quarter, scoring four of the seven goals in the game. But Northwestern’s relentless pressure allowed their highly powerful offense to take control of the contest, starting in the second quarter.
“I just think they started to get rolling, and I think they got their confidence a little bit going into the third,” Kelly said. “You know, they are great shooters. They are great players. I think once they kind of start trusting themselves, they were taking more risks offensively.”
Junior attack Sloane Kipp got on the board first in the contest after she took a feed from behind the cage from sophomore attack Mollie Estepp. After allowing two goals after the Kipp goal, freshman attack Ryan Dineen, graduate student Kayla DeRose and senior midfielder Ellie Curry all found the back of the net to lift DU to a two-goal lead going into the second quarter.
Northwestern then went on a 4-0 run in the second quarter to give them all of the momentum heading into halftime.
Northwestern’s defense was the star of the second half, though, as they halted the offensive pressure that Denver was putting on in the first quarter. They especially were good at stopping Denver’s leading goal scorer, senior attack Julia Gilbert, who did not even register a shot attempt until the third quarter.
Although the defense did not have the same performance they had against North Carolina or Albany, graduate defender Trinity McPherson’s impact was felt in the game. To start the second half, she took a clearance and trekked down the field herself with tremendous speed, tossed a dime over to DeRose who was waiting in front of the goal and watched as Denver got back on the scoring sheet.
McPherson also caused two turnovers and two draw controls in the contest.
The early second-half goal was not a catalyst for a comeback, though, as the Wildcats sliced through the Denver defense, scoring nine unanswered goals.
Gilbert scored a consolation goal with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, and DeRose finished off her hat trick with 19 seconds left in the game.
Despite the perfect bid not being captured, the reflection of good feelings on the season was exhibited post-game. DeRose summed up how she felt about the season experience best.
“It’s really surreal and amazing, I think are the two words that I’ve used throughout this entire experience,” DeRose said. “I think that being a fifth-year and having been in an NCAA Tournament all five years, it’s something truly special and I really am so grateful to be a part of.”
DU’s crowd at WakeMed Soccer Park was full and proudly sporting the hot pink hats that they started wearing since their victory at the Big East conference championship. Senior defender Sam Thacker has been grateful for the support all season.
“It’s been unreal. I think we have literally the best support of any team,” she said. “It’s unreal. Our families have come to everything. We have been on the road a ton this year, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support of our friends, our loved ones and our family.”
Graduate defender Gracie DeRose also agreed and said the entire season has been full of tremendous support.
“I don’t know if you guys were aware, but this season we didn’t have a whole lot of home games,” she explained. “However, [at] the ones we did have our fans showed up like never before. I don’t think I’ve ever in my five years here at Denver witnessed a packed stand like that; it was only for the guys’ games.”
Another recurring theme this season has been the great leadership from the senior class on and off the field. Kelly was proud of the impact the older group of players has had on the younger group.
“They bought in from last year on. They have been hard workers,” Kelly said. “I think they have been part of building this program since they came in their freshmen year. They set the tone for leadership and got buy-in from every single player.”
11 of the 34 players on the roster are seniors or graduate students. It is unclear who will leave or who will take advantage of more years of college eligibility, but the lessons learned from this season will remain with them.
“I definitely learned the value of having love and trust with your teammates. This is one of the closest teams or organizations I’ve ever been a part of,” Thacker explained. “When you can have your sister’s back, your best friend, whatever it is, you can go a long way. And I think we showed that this year, and I think the unspoken trust and love we have for every single one of our teammates is really what carried us this far.”
