Colorado
9-7, 5-3
California
5-10, 3-5
CU Falls 7-6 To Cal In Final Home Game
April 20, 2014 | Lacrosse
BOULDER – Looking to end its inaugural home season on a high note, the University of Colorado lacrosse team battled but came up short against California, falling 7-6 here Sunday.
The Buffaloes trailed 3-2 heading into halftime, marking the lowest combined first half score for a CU game this season. CU had a bigger presence in the second half, scoring four of its six goals. With 1:17 remaining in regulation, Johnna Fusco got the Buffs back within a single goal, but Cal would dominate possession until the final horn to hand CU just its second home loss.
“You can tell by (Cal's) excitement that this game meant a lot more to them than it meant to us for some reason,” CU head coach Ann Elliott said. “We have to figure out how to come out with a purpose, how to come out with that type of intensity and Cal had it today, they played great, they played hard all over the field and they wanted it and we didn't have that. We can make up a million excuses in our head of why, but at the end of the day if you want it bad enough you'll work hard for it and we have to work on that all the way through – not just here for spurts of 30 seconds or just one play but all the way through to finish plays.”
Still fighting for a bid to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, Colorado falls to 9-7 overall, 5-3 MPSF. The Buffs had a great home field advantage in their inaugural season, falling just twice at Kittredge Field for a home record of 6-2. Against Cal, 402 fans cheered on the Buffs in their home finale.
“It was great just having the support of the crowd, people from your dorms and from your classes come and that really helps,” CU goalie Paige Soenksen said. “It just makes you more fired up knowing people come out to watch you, so you need to do right by the school and perform well.”
Fusco led the Buffs, recording her fourth hat trick of the season. Fusco has now scored three or more goals in seven games. Cali Castagnola had two goals, while Amelia Brown contributed one. For just the second time this season, the Buffs had zero assists. The last time the Buffs had no assists, they suffered their one and only other home loss, an 11-8 defeat to Brown.
Winning three of their last five games, the Cal Bears improve to 5-10, 3-5 MPSF. Gaby Christman paced the Bears with two goals. Paige Gasparino also added two points, off a goal and an assist. Goalie Katie Guiterrez made six saves.
“I thought she played really well,” Elliott said of Guiterrez. “We watched film of the last few games Cal has played in Michigan, and down in Denver, and she had been playing really well, so we knew that coming in. Hats off to her, good job today.”
California had the edge in nearly every way. Cal outshot CU 21 to 17, including 10 to six in the first half. Cal scooped up four more ground balls (13 to nine) and won twice as many draws (10 to five). Colorado played a cleaner game, turning the ball over one fewer time (11 to 12) and grabbing 10 fewer fouls (20 to 30).
“At the end of the day, the message is the same,” Elliott said. “We have to work together and we have to play hard. We have to do the little things, and we didn't do that today. We didn't win draw controls, and that helped us on Friday against Old Dominion, and today we got crushed in draw controls and we have to pick up those little things in order to get in better positions to win games.”
As they did in Friday's win over Old Dominion, the Buffs struck first. Possession changed several times, but CU finally made its way to the crease at 27:25, when Castagnola found the back of the net from the 8-meter arc. CU would hold its only lead of the game for over 10 more minutes before Cal would score its first.
The Bears took five shots before getting one past Soenksen. With 16:23 left in the half, Michaela Bird got Cal on the board with assistance from Gasparino. Though CU got the ensuing draw control, a turnover helped Cal take the ball back on the attack. A CU foul further cost the Buffs, with Cal's Christman scoring off a free-position shot.
Twenty minutes after their first goal, the Buffs finally found their offensive footing, with Fusco going unassisted to tie things up for the second time 7:56 before the break. CU managed just two shots in the first 22 minutes of the game, but sent both of them into the back of the net.
Cal broke the tie with 4:41 left in the half to take a 3-2 lead into the break. Once again, a CU turnover led to a Cal goal, with Christman going coast to coast to score her second. In the final 4:12, CU picked up a ground ball off a Cal turnover, got to the 8-meter twice and took three shots. After netting two overtime game-winners last weekend, Sarah Lautman looked to strike in the final seconds of the half. With 28 seconds left, she forced a save from Gutierrez. Fusco caused Cal to turn the ball over, and Lautman took another shot in the final second, this time sending it wide.
CU had a response to every Cal goal in the second half, with the teams scoring an even four apiece, but the Buffs could never get closer than a goal behind. Gasparino started the second half off for the Bears, pushing Cal's lead to two in the fifth minute of the half.
Fusco got her second just over three minutes later, scoring from the 8-meter. Ten minutes into the second half, Bella Huther, who averages a hat trick per game, ranking in the nation's top 15 in goals per game, scored her first and only goal. Assisted by Nicole Beck, Huther gave Cal another two-goal lead.
Over another five minutes, CU would bookend another Cal goal. Castagnola would go unassisted with 18:01 remaining. Cal would continue to fight to retain its lead, with Brittany Ward adding her name to the list of Cal scorers. With 13:04 left in regulation, Brown would give the Buffs their crucial third goal from the 8-meter.
Cal took its fourth two-goal lead with 9:34 on the clock. CU responded one final time, though it would take more than eight minutes. At 4:44, CU looked to have a chance of fighting back, with Fusco taking back-to-back free-position shots, but got a yellow card on her second attempt. Cal was a man-up and had the ball once more, but the Buffs defense forced a Cal shot high and Soenksen grabbed a save on Cal's next shot. Maddie DeWinter came up with a ground ball for the Buffs, allowing them to get back on the attack. At 1:17, Fusco had the Buffs back in the game after rushing to the right, shooting at the ground and netting one into the far corner.
Colorado used a timeout to see if the team could muster some more late game heroics. Cal won the final draw, which Fusco called the Buffs' main problem in the game, allowing them to run out the final minute on the clock.
“Obviously, a victory today would have helped us out a lot in our seeding (in the MPSF tournament) and we've made our road a lot tougher and put our backs against the wall a little bit,” Elliott said. “But, I think we will hopefully come out strong next weekend and see what we can do.”
The Buffs conclude their inaugural regular season with a trip to Eugene, Ore. CU takes on Oregon on Sunday, April 27. First draw is at 11 a.m. MT.
“We just need to refocus as a team,” Soenksen said. “Refocus before the game, come out at the start of the game understanding we need to work hard, nothing is going to be handed to us we have to come out and take it, which is something we need to continue to work on.”
California 7, Colorado 6
| Score by period | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Colorado | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| California | 3 | 4 | 7 |
Colorado scoring (Goals-Assists – Points): Johnna Fusco (3-0 – 3), Cali Castagnola (2-0 – 2), Amelia Brown (1-0 -1).
California scoring (Goals-Assists – Points): Gaby Christman (2-0 -2), Paige Gasparino (1-1 – 2), Bella Huther (1-0 – 1), Michaela Bird (1-0 – 1), Amelia Burke (1-0 – 1), Brittany Ward (1-0 – 1), Nicole Beck (0-1 – 1).
