Colorado University Athletics
CU Lacrosse Turns Focus To Stanford For Senior Day
April 05, 2017 | Lacrosse, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In their four short years in Boulder, the seniors on Colorado's lacrosse team have put together a rather amazing list of accomplishments.
Four consecutive winning seasons (including this year). Three consecutive berths in the MPSF tournament, with a fourth very likely this season. Four wins this year over top 20 teams, with more opportunities still ahead.
And, of course, the program's first-ever top 20 ranking, with the Buffs currently sitting at No. 5 in the nation in two polls, and sixth in another.
Not bad for a program that came online as a startup in 2014.
But this year's seniors — the first recruiting class in the history of the program — have a few more items on their bucket list, a list that includes an MPSF championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.
The next item on the list, however, is Friday's 3 p.m. home game with Stanford, the 11-1 Buffs' last regular season home game of the year and perhaps these CU seniors' last chance to collect a win over a conference nemesis.
"We've never beaten Stanford," said senior attacker Johnna Fusco, the Buffs' third-leading scorer thus far this year with 28 goals and six assists. "They've ended our season every single year. That's in itself right there is very important and it's a simple thing. That's what our eye is on."
Indeed, the 7-3 Cardinal has beaten the Buffs three straight years in regular season play as well as three straight years in the MPSF tournament semifinals. CU's seniors remember every one of those games, and there's no doubt what will be on their minds Friday when Stanford rolls into Boulder.
"Every game is huge, every game is important," said senior midfielder Marie Moore. "But at the same time, this game has a little more backbone to it. We've never beaten them and that's going to be in the back of our minds. We have something to prove. We need a little redemption against them. On our home field, we have to come out strong on Friday and prove to ourselves what we can do."
Fusco and Moore are two of coach Ann Elliott's 16 seniors who have been around for every game in program history. Colorado is Elliott's first collegiate head coaching position, and her seniors represent her first-ever recruiting class.
"It's mind-blowing that it's year four and they're going to graduate," Elliott said recently. "They've all grown so much and learned so much … to be where we are with that group is really exciting. We just want to make this season as long and as special as we can for them."
That, of course, is also the seniors' goal. They are currently on a ride they would like to keep rolling for as long as possible.
The Buffs are coming off their first loss of the season, a 10-6 loss at No. 5 Stony Brook last week. But the players say they can turn the loss into a learning moment and make sure they don't repeat their mistakes again — an opportunity they will have Friday against the Cardinal.
Thanks to a quirk in the scheduling, the Buffs' last home game of the regular season will be followed by four road games before the MPSF tournament. After Friday, they'll play at No. 9 USC on April 14, followed by games at San Diego State (April 16), St. Mary's (April 21) and Cal (April 23).
But the only game on their minds at the moment is Friday's, one that could be considered a crossroads of sort for the program.
"I think it's definitely that type of game," Fusco said. "It's our last home game that we are guaranteed on our field. That also has a lot to do with this game. We have to come out there with a chip on our shoulder and bring everything that we've learned over these past four years and prove to not only to ourselves, but to everyone else in the NCAA that our program has arrived."
Moore, Fusco and the rest of the seniors have quite clearly learned under the tutelage of Elliott, who came to CU after winning three national championships as a player at Northwestern, then three more as an assistant coach. Elliott is a strong proponent of focusing on the immediate future, taking care of the "little things," ignoring the things that are beyond your control and improving every day.
"Ann always says eliminate the outside noise, and that's been especially important this season because of the national recognition we've been getting," Moore said. "Right now, we know we have to take it day by day. It's exciting to be at this point, but we still have a lot of stuff to prove. We have some things we can do that we've never done at Colorado. We're working toward those goals, day in and day out, but it's like Ann said — keep it simple, keep working every day and don't look too far ahead."
While looking too far ahead isn't a problem for the CU seniors, looking back is something they find themselves doing more and more. With their last regular season home game now on the immediate horizon, the last four seasons have gone by in a flash.
"One special thing I will always remember is playing on Folsom Field our first home game ever," Moore said. "We ran out behind Ralphie and that will always be kind of special. That's something you don't forget."
What the current group of seniors has already accomplished is the establishment of a foundation of success. They will always be remembered as the group that started from scratch and built the beginnings of what CU hopes will be a long and proud tradition.
But with five more regular season games remaining, the MPSF tournament and a possible NCAA berth still ahead, the CU seniors would still like to create a few more memories before their time in black and gold is over.
"Running behind Ralphie is hard to top — but winning more games and taking it to the next level is something I hope we have the chance to remember," Fusco said. "To see how we've all grown and progressed since we got here has been great, but we would like to add more to that before we're done."
Note: CU's home games are played at Kittredge Field on the CU campus. Admission and parking are free.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
