Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
0-1, 0-1MPSF
Denver
1-1, 1-0MPSF
Buffs Fall Short, 10-6 In Opener Against Denver
February 11, 2015 | Lacrosse
BOULDER –The University of Colorado lacrosse team has come a long way in a year. The Buffaloes' fast start against the 19th-ranked Denver Pioneers on Wednesday, the area's long-standing power, was proof as the fledgling program came well within reach of the biggest win in its brief history. Instead, the afternoon ended with a the painful realization that a few hurdles still remain before they might seize a statement win of caliber. At the conclusion, the team walked off the field an eye toward what almost was and, if Wednesday was any indication, what soon will be.
A year ago, the Buffs were outplayed and outmanned 15-4 by these same Pioneers in the third game of what was the inaugural season in program history. Wednesday, it was the Buffs who emerged as the aggressors as they jumped out to a 5-2 halftime lead by doing all of the little things that they saw DU run to near-perfection in that troubled first meeting. Unfortunately, rules mandated that the two teams had to play a second half and with each passing minute CU's chances to pull off the upset slowly slipped away. The Colorado sun, which was shining brightly at opening draw, was now descending behind the flatirons creating one final bit of irony in what eventually ended in a 10-6 defeat at the hands of the Pioneers.
“I think we came out in the first half really ready to go, but it takes 60 minutes to win a game,” said midfielder Johnna Fusco who led the Buffs with three goals in the game. “In the second half we didn't come out quite as strong. We just came out with a different head on our shoulders. We didn't handle the ball as well. We threw it around more causally than we should have, when we were only up by three.”
On this sunny February Boulder day, Colorado (0-1, 0-1 MPSF) came out of the gates with the kind of new-found vigor that one might have expected after a nine month layoff. After nearly 15 minutes, in which they dominated time of possession yet had no score to show for it, the Buffs finally answered an early Denver (1-1, 1-0 MPSF) goal when sophomore Marie Moore found the net at the 15:33 mark. Less than two minutes later, Fusco, the team's leading scorer in 2014, scored Colorado's second goal and the Buffs suddenly had their first ever lead against mighty DU. They would score three more times in the game's next six minutes as the Pioneers were starting to realize that this was a different team than the one they had beaten so handily just 12 months prior.
“I think we were all pretty nervous coming out for the first game of the season, but we took that and brought it to the field, and just used to our advantage,” said Fusco. “We wanted to show Denver what we are all about, and give them a great game. We know that we can compete with them.”
Colorado would carry that 5-2 lead into the locker room. While the offense was finding its groove, the defense was holding DU at bay for more than 12 minutes of game action thanks mostly to the stellar play of goalkeeper Paige Soenksen, who would have an impressive seven saves to her credit by game's end.
CU continued to hold DU out of the net as the second half churned thru its opening minutes. Despite its lack of overall success, DU managed to relentlessly pressure the sophomore net minder as she withstood a seemingly constant barrage of shots on goal. Eventually though, with a team as talented as the one from the Colorado capital, those possessions and those shots on goal ultimately began to find their mark and less than seven minutes into half number two, the Pioneers had tied the game by scoring three straight times.
“I think Paige played well,” said head coach Ann Elliott. “I think with Denver, a good team, they have good offensive weapons. To limit them to ten goals and to two goals in the first half means we did a lot of things well. They made some adjustments, but we gave them a lot of opportunities. They are a good team, and they are going to capitalize when you do that. That's what beat us in the second half.”
The DU onslaught would continue amidst lost CU opportunities and timely turnovers, slowed only briefly by a Cali Castagnola goal midway thru the half, as Denver found the net eight times in the second stanza on its way to a victory in its first ever trip to Boulder.
“We had a lot of trouble in the second half,” said Elliott. “All the credit to Denver, they played a great second half. For us, we beat ourselves a lot offensively. We turned over the ball a lot. You can't turn over the ball against a team and expect to come out on top. When you turn over the ball you are limiting your opportunities. Their goalie made a lot of saves the whole game, but we have to take care of the ball and work harder offensively for opportunities.”
The Buffs will now turn their attention to a Saturday afternoon tilt with the Marquette Golden Eagles as they look for their first win on the young 2015 season. The first draw is set for 12 p.m. MT at Kittredge Field.
