No. 15 Buffs Head West For First Pac-12 Road Trip

BOULDER — The 15th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes are hitting the road this weekend for their first Pac-12 Conference road trip, which will take them to Los Angeles and Tempe, Ariz. The Buffs will start the trip on Friday, March 16, against No. 12 Southern California, at 4 p.m. MT. Then, they will face Arizona State on Sunday, March 18, at 12 p.m. MT.

HOW TO WATCH: Friday's contest against the Trojans will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Mountain/Los Angeles, while Sunday's game against the Sun Devils will be streamed on Pac-12 Plus. Links to the live stats, as well as the live stream for Sunday's game, are available at CUBuffs.com.

ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado is ranked 15th in the IWLCA and NIKE/USL Magazine polls, as well as 14th in the Cascade/Inside Lacrosse media poll. CU is 5-2 this season. The Buffs have won the last four straight games after starting the season 1-2.

Darby Kiernan leads the team with 39 points this season, which is fourth in the NCAA, first in the Pac-12. She has earned 26 goals and 12 assists. The 26 goals is eighth in the nation, second in the Pac-12. She is also third in the NCAA, first in the Pac-12, with 8.86 draw controls per game. Miranda Stinson is a very close second for the Buffs with 30 points (27th in the NCAA, fourth in the Pac-12). Stinson has 25 goals this season (13th in the NCAA, third in the Pac-12) and has five assists.

Kelsie Garrison leads the team with nine caused turnovers this season and is tied for the lead in ground balls (19) with Sarah Brown. Julia Lisella earned the start in the last four games, which were all wins. She has played in 270:00 minutes this season and has impressive numbers. She has allowed 9.56 goals per game, which is 17th in the NCAA and is second in the Pac-12. Lisella has also earned a .538 save percentage, which ranks 10th in the NCAA and leads the Pac-12.

ABOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: USC is ranked 12th in the IWLCA poll, as well as the NIKE/US Lacrosse Magazine poll. The Trojans are also 15th in the Cascade/Inside Lacrosse media poll. USC has a 3-3 record to start the season and is 1-0 in Pac-12 play as the Trojans defeated ASU last weekend. All three of their losses have come against ranked teams. They lost 14-10 to then-No. 2 Stony Brook and suffered a 9-5 loss to then-No. 15 Northwestern. Last week USC also lost in overtime (13-12) to then-No. 4 Boston College.

Kerrigan Miller has a team-best 17 points with 14 goals and three assists. She has also won 18 draw controls and adds 13 caused turnovers. Izzy McMahon is second for the Trojans with 15 points (10g, 5a) and Mauve McMahon is third with 14 (9g, 5a).

Gussie Johns has been the starter all season. She is 10th in the NCAA with an 8.88 goals against average. Johns has recorded a .490 save percentage, which is second in the conference.

THE SERIES: USC has a 4-1 lead in the all-time series against the Buffs. Colorado won the very first meeting on April 11, 2014 (12-11 OT), before falling in the subsequent four games, which includes the 2017 MPSF Tournament Championship game.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE: In their inaugural season, Arizona State has recorded a 5-2 record to start the season and are 0-1 in Pac-12 play after falling 14-3 to No. 12 USC in Los Angeles.

Kerri Clayton leads the Sun Devils with 37 points, which is sixth in the NCAA and second in the Pac-12. 28 of her 37 points are goals, which is fourth overall in the nation. Second on the team is Emily Glagolev with 23 points. She has 14 goals and nine assists.

As a team, the Sun Devils rank 11th in the nation in ground balls, averaging 22.00 per game. Maddy Hunter is third in the NCAA with 4.71 per game. She also adds 2.43 caused turnovers per game, which is 11th in the NCAA. Hunter leads ASU in the draw control circle with 6.57 per game, 15th in the NCAA. Berkeley Bonneau has played all seven games in goal, totaling 357:56 minutes and a 5-2 record. She has allowed 10.39 goals per game and has a .466 save percentage.

THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between the two teams as it is ASU's inaugural season.

UP NEXT: The Buffs stay on the road for one game against Oregon on March 23, in Eugene, Ore.

HOME GAME INFORMATION: All but one of Colorado's home games will be played at Kittredge Field. Admission to all games at Kittredge is free, as is parking in Lot 416. The only regular season game that will not be played at Kittredge is on April 8 against Arizona State. That contest will be played at Prentup Field, the site of the 2018 Pac-12 Lacrosse Championships. Tickets will be $5, while children 12 and under will be free.

THE KITT FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Buffs have done quite well at Kittredge Field since 2014, compiling a 28-5 record. CU is currently in the middle of a 14-0 run at Kitt. The Buffs won the last three home games in 2016 and did not drop a contest at Kitt in 2017 (7-0). They are 4-0 at home this season.

PAC-12 TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the Inaugural Pac-12 Women's Lacrosse Tournament, April 26-29, in Boulder, are now on sale. Colorado will serve as the host for the first ever tournament. The quarterfinal games will be played on Thursday, April 26, while the semifinals will be contested on Friday, April 27. The championship game is set for Sunday, April 29. All five games will be played at Prentup Field, the home of Colorado's soccer program.

Fans can purchase an all-sessions pass that includes all five games, or a single-session pass for one day. Tickets can be purchased online at CUBuffs.com or by calling 303-49-BUFFS. Pricing for both options is listed below:

ALL-SESSIONS
Adults: $20
Children 12 and Under: $12
CU Students: $12
Per Ticket Fee (Online Only): $2.50
Mail Fee: $1
Print at Home: no charge

SINGLE-SESSION
Adults: $8
Children 12 and Under: $5
CU Students: $5
Per Ticket Fee (Online Only): $1.50
Mail Fee: $1
Print at Home: no charge

CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to provide a safer environment for fans, the University of Colorado will continue its clear bag policy at the Prentup Field for all lacrosse and soccer games, which includes the Pac-12 Women's Lacrosse Tournament.

Fans may bring one clear bag no larger than 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches, or a one-gallon reseal-able clear plastic storage bag, into the arena. Fans will also be allowed one small clutch purse, no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches.

Bags that are not allowed into the CEC include backpacks, large purses, oversized tote bags, camera bags and binocular cases, diaper bags, fanny packs and printed plastic bags.

For more information check out the following link: CUBuffs.com/BeClear.

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Players Mentioned

Sarah Brown

Kelsie Garrison

Darby Kiernan

Julia Lisella

Miranda Stinson