DU Women’s Lacrosse’s voyage to Ann Arbor last weekend carried with it promises of a matchup of titans: The No.4 ranked Crimson and Gold would take on the No.10 Michigan Wolverines in the first top-10 matchup of DU’s young season.

Instead, fans were treated to a tale of two goalies. An 8-4 final in favor of Michigan, led by the heroic efforts of junior goaltender Erin O’Grady, sent Denver’s junior goaltender Emelia Bohi and the rest of the Crimson and Gold home with their first loss of 2024 and second defeat in the last 12 months.

DU knew they would be facing a brick wall in O’Grady. In two games played prior to the matchup with DU, she had just three goals against and 16 saves for an impressive .842 save percentage, good enough for first in D-I.

Bohi, on the other hand, held a .429 SV% in last week’s game versus Louisville—relegating her to a tie for 43rd among NCAA D-I WLax goalies. However, it has been the offensive firepower of the Crimson and Gold that has propelled DU to the top of the polls ever since last year’s resurgence of the program. Denver would have to outshoot Michigan to win.

The first five minutes of the first quarter were high-octane, yet straightforward. Both teams controlled two draws, all of which led directly to goals and a 2-2 score with 10:50 to play in the first quarter. However, a tone-setting save by O’Grady and a goal by Michigan senior Lily Montemarano gave the Wolverines a lead that they would not relinquish.

Denver would fail to score again until fifth-year Julia Gilbert converted on a free position shot with six seconds remaining in the second quarter. That ended a five-goal run from Michigan that put the Crimson and Gold in a paralyzing 3-6 deficit going into halftime.

The first half was defined by dramatic differences in the goaltending performances at each end of the pitch. After letting in the first two shots she faced, O’Grady stopped seven straight attempts by Denver, while Bohi only made one stop all half.

This trend continued for the entire game. As the final whistle sounded, O’Grady celebrated her first career double-digit save effort, stopping 13 of 17 shots on goal, while Bohi’s SV% dropped further, having made just 2 saves on 10 attempts.

Diagnosing the problem (outside of the goaltending) will be a challenge for Denver head coach Liza Kelly. In addition to outshooting Michigan, the Crimson and Gold bested the Wolverines in shot attempts, ground balls and turnovers.

Michigan won over twice as many draws as Denver, but only two of those draw controls led directly to goals for the Wolverines. In fact, three of their goals resulted from possessions that began with O’Grady saves.

Despite a two-goal effort from Gilbert and tallies from freshmen Kyra Obert and Olivia Ripple, Denver struggled all game to break the brick wall that is O’Grady. It’s a tough loss to swallow, but for a team that has proven they can contend with the best in the nation, they have to keep playing their game and look forward.

DU will face off against Ohio State at home on Friday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.