The No. 14 DU women’s lacrosse team continued their hot start to the season, improving to 5-0 after defeating the University of California-Davis (UC Davis) at home 16-6 on Feb. 24.

UC Davis opened the scoring, but Denver answered with a three-goal run to take a 3-1 lead. Sophomore attacks Kendra Lanuza (Littleton, Colorado) and Elizabeth Behrins (Basking Ridge, New Jersey) each tallied their 12th goals of the season in the flurry.

A resilient UC Davis would fight back from two two-goal deficits in the first half, tying the game at 3-3 and then again at 5-5 with 2:51 remaining in the half. Eager to take hold of the game heading into the home locker room, DU reeled off three quick scores to secure an 8-5 lead.

Scoring in the frenzy was Behrins, netting her second of the day. Sophomore attack Julia Feiss (Baltimore, Maryland) also fired home her second goal of the match before the half signaled.

The undefeated Pioneers were eager to build on their lead in the second half, rattling off three more goals between 22:48-21:12 to take a commanding 11-5 advantage. Behrins tallied her third and fourth scores of the day, bringing her to 15 for the season. Her 10 shots in the game were equal to UC Davis’s total as a team.

Also completing hat tricks in the second half were Lanuza and Feiss, netting their 14th and 12th goals of the year, respectively. The duo also combined for all seven of Denver’s assists, with Lanuza tallying four and Feiss three.

The Pioneers dominated the second half, taking a 16-5 lead with 10:46 remaining in the game. UC-Davis snuck one more goal past DU to give the game its 16-6 final.

Senior goaltender Maddy Stevenson (Bainbridge Island, Washington) made three saves and allowed five goals in the win.

As a team, DU was very balanced in their attack, scoring eight goals and firing off 19 shots in each half.

Denver’s next match-up will be on the road, but not too far from home, as they take on the No. 9 University of Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder, Colorado on March 3 at 3:00 p.m.