After winning the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) championships last weekend at Peter Barton Stadium, the women’s lacrosse team travelled to Gainesville, Florida where they eventually beat the Jacksonville University Dolphins, only to lose this past Sunday at the hands of the Florida Gators for a second year in a row in the NCAA tournament.
Coming into the tournament with a No. 17 ranking, the Pioneers defeated the Dolphins 12-8. This is the second consecutive year that Denver has traveled to the NCAA tournament and also the second time that they have faced Jacksonville.
Denver sophomore, Rachael McKinnon, led the Pioneers with four points, scoring three of her goals in a two-minute time span. Pioneer senior Jenn Etzel had two goals, an assist and three ground balls, and junior Kiki Boone recorded a team-high of seven draw controls against the Dolphins.
With the win over Jacksonville, the Pioneers set a new school record of the most wins in a single season (19-1). This game also marked their 17th winning streak.
“I think we played well as a team. We worked hard and got it done, even though it wasn’t the best lacrosse we’ve played. The draw has been a focus for me as a player at DU. I have a great draw team behind me and it’s exciting to get seven today against a challenging team,” said Kiki Boone.
Redshirt junior goalie and Tewaaraton nominee Hannah Hook made eight saves against the Dolphin offense.
Moving on from the win, Denver faced the No. 3 University of Florida Gators in the second round of the tournament. Last year, the Pioneers faced the Gators, but fell 16-5. This year, Denver fell again, losing 19-9.
“I am really proud of how hard the girls played. Florida is a great team, but I don’t think the final score is indicative of the battle we had today. For our four seniors, thank you for a wonderful four years. You all have left an incredible legacy at DU,” said Head Coach Liza Kelly.
The Pioneers will be graduating four seniors this spring: Jenn Etzel, Sonorah Vineyard, Annabelle Gilbride and Meredith Harris. These four ended their career with a 56-19 record, which includes two NCAA Championship appearances and DU’s first MPSF Championship victory.
Junior Jill Remenapp had an impressive game, leading Denver with four points. Remenapp now has 153 career assists, which puts her in fifth for the NCAA player with the highest number of recorded assists.
“It was a huge team effort today. We came out strong through the first part of the game. We showed a lot of grit today against a tough team. Even with the loss, we still accomplished a lot as a team this season,” said Remenapp.
Against the Gators, Boone broke DU’s all-time school record for draw controls, ending the season with 162.
Goalie Hannah Hook made 10 saves against Florida.
The Pioneers saw the most wins in school history this season, even though their 17 game winning streak was ended by the Gators.
