On Wednesday afternoon in Milwaukee, Wis., the Denver women’s lacrosse team took a 23-10 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles. During the game, sophomore midfielder Olivia Ripple recorded a whopping 10 goals to break the Denver single-game scoring record.
Ripple is now tied for the fourth-most single-game goals in NCAA women’s lacrosse history. Ripple not only dominated on attack but also worked on both sides of the field by getting a career-high five ground balls.
The Crimson and Gold had a slow start to the game, trailing the Golden Eagles 4-7 to end the first quarter. Ripple came out hot in the second quarter with three consecutive goals to tie the game up at 7-7. Denver’s defense held Marquette scoreless in the second quarter with freshman goalie Lexi Gawk between the pipes.
Marquette started the second half off with two unanswered goals to decrease Denver’s run. The Golden Eagles were able to squeeze in three goals by the end of the third quarter. However, Denver was not fazed as they netted four goals and ended the third quarter leading, 18-10.
With a consistent 13 turnovers caused and eight saves, Denver was a force on the defensive end, shutting down Marquette’s top scorer, Meg Bireley, to end with a massive lead over the Golden Eagles on their home turf.
Denver dominated in the circle as well, racking up a season’s best of 25 draw controls, led by freshman draw specialist Alex Dorr with 13, followed by senior defender Sarah Pokorny with a personal best of eight.
Freshman attacker Eva Thomsen-Marr recorded a career high seven points, including five goals and two assists. Thomsen-Marr has been a force on the attack end with a recorded 31 points this season.
Graduate midfielder Maddie Montgomery had two caused turnovers during the game, putting her at 100 caused turnovers for her career.
Denver’s next game was away against the University of Connecticut Huskies, where they lost 14-13 in overtime. The Crimson and Gold Currently sits second in the Big East conference standings and will have another game on the road against No. 10 Stanford on April 13.
