Colorado University Athletics
Lacrosse 2017 In Review
December 31, 2017 | Lacrosse
Rather, the entire season will go down as a special moment in program history. In just its fourth year of existence, CU lacrosse established itself as a top-20 program under the direction of head coach Ann Elliott.
It didn't take long to learn that 2017 would be a special season. Ann Elliott's Buffs opened the year with an overtime win against ninth-ranked Northwestern, followed quickly by a victory over No. 16 Massachusetts. That was the beginning of an 11-game win streak that included two more wins over ranked teams (No. 14 Denver and No. 6 Penn State), a streak that pushed the Buffs to a No. 4 ranking in the national polls.
The Buffs then began knocking off conference foes. They recorded the program's first-ever win over Stanford, then won three of their next four to earn a berth in the MPSF tournament semifinals. Another win over Stanford moved Colorado into the tourney title game, and although the Buffs fell short vs. USC in the championship game, they still earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Colorado then fell to UMass in the program's first NCAA Tournament game, but still finished the season with a 16-4 record, best in program history.
Elliott was named the Midwest/West Region Coach of the Year and the Buffs landed five players on the all-region team. Junior defender Sarah Brown, junior attacker Darby Kiernan and senior goalkeeper Paige Soenksen were selected to the first team, while senior attacker Johnna Fusco and sophomore midfielder Miranda Stinson were named to the second team.
Lacrosse Notes
- Finished the season 16-4 (7-1 MPSP)
- The 16 wins is the most in program history
- Advanced to the MPSF Championship game for the first time in school history
- Finished second in the conference for the first time in school history
- Advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history
- Broke into all three polls after upsetting No. 9 Northwestern in the season opener (11-10 OT)
- Reached as high as fourth in all three polls.
- The Buffs recorded an 11-match win streak to open the season, again the longest in school history
- Were 4-3 against ranked teams during the season
- CU ranked third in scoring defense (8.10) during the year and was sixth in scoring margin (6.35).
- Paige Soenksen ranked fourth in the NCAA in GAA (8.46)
- Three Buffs earned All-American honors
- Paige Soenkson was named to the Inside Lacrosse Media third team and was third team selection on the IWLCA team. She also picked up CU's first national player of the week honors after stopping 16 shots in the overtime win against Northwestern. Soenksen was also named to the Tewaaraton Watch list
- Darby Kiernan, another member of the Tewaaraton Watch List, was a third team IWLCA All-American as well as an honorable mention Inside Lacrosse Media All-American. Kiernan was CU's first NCAA Women's Lacrosse Player of the Week (Feb. 22) after the Buffs defeated UMass and Stetson.
- Sarah Brown was named to the IWLCA All-America Second team and was an honorable mention selection on the Inside Lacrosse Media All-America team.
- The Buffs had a school record eight athletes named to the All-MPSF teams and five earned all-region status.
- Head Coach Ann Elliott recorded her 50th career win during the season
- She was also named the MPSF Coach of the Year and the IWCLA All-Midwest/West Region Coach of the Year.
Sport Supervisor Tracy Tripp On Lacrosse
"I think one of the best sports stories in the country last year was the success of the women's lacrosse team. In just four short years, Coach Ann Elliott has built a lacrosse program from the ground up and turned it into a nationally ranked program that competed in the NCAA Tournament in its fourth year of competition. There is no way to just mention one or two memories, as the season had many magical and historical moments."
"The Buffs started off the season at home against Coach Elliott's alma mater, then-No. 9 ranked Northwestern. Not only was this a big game for Coach Elliott, coaching against her mentor, but for the seniors on the team. Former CU assistant coach Hannah Nielsen, one of the original members of the coaching staff who had a hand in recruiting and developing the 16 seniors on the team, was now on the Northwestern sideline as an assistant. The game was intense from start to finish with both teams going back and forth in regulation, ending in a score of 10-10. With the game in overtime, Katie Macleay scored the game winning goal off a pass from Johnna Fusco within the first minute. And this was just the start of what was to be a unprecedented year!"
"After knocking off Northwestern, the Buffs went on to win 10 straight games for a program record 11 consecutive wins -- taking down three more nationally ranked opponents, No. 16 UMass, No. 14 Denver and No. 6 Penn State at PSU. The Denver game was a "statement game" against the only in-state rival, and marked just how far the CU program has grown, with the Buffs dominating the day with a 14-3 win in Boulder. After knocking off four ranked opponents, the pollsters validated the Buffs with a No. 4 national ranking, their highest in school history."
"Another highlight of the season, occurred during conference play. On Senior Day at Kitt Field, in front of family, friends and loyal fans the Buffs avenged three years of losses to the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford had been the team's nemesis over the past three years beating the Buffs every year in conference play and ending their season every year in the MPSF tournament. This year the Buffs had their payback by beating the Cardinal twice, once in the regular season and once in the MPSF semifinals. Revenge never tasted so sweet!"
"There were many highlights I was able to witness on the field for the Buffaloes last season but the most special moment for me was one that occurred off the field. In what was supposed to be a Buff win at the NCAA tournament, Mindy Sclaro, the team's academic advisor, had planned out the graduation ceremony in the hotel conference room for the next day. She had prepared speeches and secured diploma covers, each player had their own cap and gown, and pomp and circumstance was cued up and ready to be played. She wanted the day to be special, as each one of these players was missing the CU Commencement on the Boulder campus. Each player had sacrificed their day in Folsom Field in order to participate in the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The game didn't go the way the Buffs had hoped, falling 13-7 to UMass. After the game ended and players found solace in their teammates and families, no one was in the mood to celebrate, and even worse, the NCAA reserved flights back to Denver very early the next morning. But there was one person, Mindy, who was determined to have the student-athletes experience a graduation, especially after all the hard work they had put into their studies over the past four years as they helped build the program. For some the classroom came easy, as did their GPAs, but for others a diploma was the culmination of a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Sacrifice and Commitment. These are the two words that embodied this team. Every morning this team would be on Kitt Field by 7 a.m. when there were no bright lights, no loud speakers, the sun still coming up behind the Flatirons, the field in the mist, while most of the campus was still sound asleep in their beds. These were just athletes and their commitment to their sport. A commitment that isn't the ordinary Division I athlete commitment. This commitment was to a coach, to the process, to a vision that was only words and a promise when they made the decision to come to Colorado. A promise to do it the CU WAY and to live by the mantra "Nothing Given, Everything Earned". A team that started out with nothing ended their careers creating a culture, a winning tradition and a legacy that will never be forgotten. Getting back to the graduation, Sclaro, rallied the troops at 10:30 p.m. and in front of 75 people in the hotel conference room, the class of graduating seniors received their diplomas in front of their families, friends and staff. Junior Sarah Brown brought her guitar and sang, while Sclaro spoke of each student's journey, pomp and circumstance was played and the players were able to throw their caps in the air! Life long memories were made. Magical memories for a magical year."
