Friday, April 5
Los Angeles, CA
4:00 PM
Colorado
6-5, 5-1Pac-12
9
at
8
USC
12-2, 7-1Pac-12
1
2
F
Colorado
6
3
9
USC
2
6
8
CU's defense held strong at the end to give CU the 9-8 win in L.A.
Photo by: Tim Benko, Benko Photographics
No. 23 Buffs Hold Off No. 14 Trojans For First Win In Los Angeles
April 05, 2019 | Lacrosse
BOULDER – With just three weeks left in the regular season, the University of Colorado lacrosse team made a statement on Friday night, knocking off the 14th-ranked University of Southern California Trojans, 9-8, for its first win against USC in Los Angeles.
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The No. 23 Buffs got out to a quick start in the game and led 6-2 at halftime, but the Trojans stormed back, scoring six goals to CU's three, and cut the Buffs' lead to just one with 3:31 to play. CU was able to hold on for the win and put an end to USC's bid for a perfect league mark.
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"I am proud of our fight and ability to stay composed enough to make the next play and hold on for the win," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "USC is a great team and we have struggled against them, especially here. It's a good win for us and one we really needed."
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Seniors Miranda Stinson and Samantha Nemirov each recorded three goals, while Stinson added an assist for a team-best four points. Sophomore Sadie Grozier also added a pair of goals and one assist for three points, while senior Sophie Castillo had one goal and one assist.
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Colorado is now 6-5 on the season, but more importantly, is 5-1 in Pac-12 play. USC is 12-2, with its only losses to top-ranked Boston College and now CU. The Trojans are also 7-1 conference action.
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WHAT HAPPENED: The Buffs got out to a quick start, with Stinson winning the draw and racing down the field to fire a quick shot, which found the back of the net to put the Buffs on the board first. USC did not take long to respond, scoring its first marker at 28:11 to even the contest.
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CU was able to break the tie at 22:34 when Grozier converted on a free-position attempt. Less than a minute later, she scored her second of the game. The Buffs did not let up and scored another goal, Stinson's second of the day, at 20:16.
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After a timeout by the Trojans, they were able to stop CU's 3-0 run, with a goal of their own at 19:43, but Nemirov shot a laser past USC's goalie, Riley Hertford, to put the Buffs back up by three (5-2) at 18:19. Close to 10 minutes later, Nemirov recorded her second of the afternoon.
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The two sides battled for the remaining eight minutes of the half, but neither was able to score.
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The Trojans struck first in the second half less than two minutes in, but then at 24:16, Castillo found the back of the net to give the Buffs back their four-goal lead (7-3). That lead did not last long as USC responded with its second goal of the half at 23:25.
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Nemirov recorded her fifth hat trick of the season after she scored a goal off a pass from Chloe Willard at 18:03, but just like the Trojans had been doing all afternoon, they quickly responded, converting on a free-position attempt at 16:59. They added another quick goal at 16:34 to cut CU's lead to just two (8-6).
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Stinson scored her third goal of the game on a free-position attempt at 11:57 to give the Buffs a three-goal lead again, and again, it did not last long as USC scored at 11:12, bringing the score to 9-7. Â
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Both sides played well down the stretch. USC had a free-position attempt at 3:50, but Julia Lisella made a save to hold off the Trojans' attack. The Buffs went to clear, but turned the ball over and USC converted in transition to pull within one goal.
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The Buffs had control of the ball with 2:00 to play and used a timeout with 1:39 left. USC's Kerrigan Miller was issued a yellow card a short time later, giving the Buffs the man-advantage for the rest of the contest. But, with under a minute, CU lost possession and USC went back on the attack. The Trojans took a timeout with 35 second to play, but could not make anything happen as CU's defense stood tall to secure the win.
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KEY STATISTIC: Colorado's draw control wins in the first half helped the Buffs get out to a decent lead, putting CU in position to win the game. The Buffs won six of the nine draws in the first half; while in the second half, they managed four to USC's seven.
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NOTABLE:
TEAM LEADERS:
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The No. 23 Buffs got out to a quick start in the game and led 6-2 at halftime, but the Trojans stormed back, scoring six goals to CU's three, and cut the Buffs' lead to just one with 3:31 to play. CU was able to hold on for the win and put an end to USC's bid for a perfect league mark.
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"I am proud of our fight and ability to stay composed enough to make the next play and hold on for the win," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "USC is a great team and we have struggled against them, especially here. It's a good win for us and one we really needed."
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Seniors Miranda Stinson and Samantha Nemirov each recorded three goals, while Stinson added an assist for a team-best four points. Sophomore Sadie Grozier also added a pair of goals and one assist for three points, while senior Sophie Castillo had one goal and one assist.
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Colorado is now 6-5 on the season, but more importantly, is 5-1 in Pac-12 play. USC is 12-2, with its only losses to top-ranked Boston College and now CU. The Trojans are also 7-1 conference action.
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WHAT HAPPENED: The Buffs got out to a quick start, with Stinson winning the draw and racing down the field to fire a quick shot, which found the back of the net to put the Buffs on the board first. USC did not take long to respond, scoring its first marker at 28:11 to even the contest.
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CU was able to break the tie at 22:34 when Grozier converted on a free-position attempt. Less than a minute later, she scored her second of the game. The Buffs did not let up and scored another goal, Stinson's second of the day, at 20:16.
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After a timeout by the Trojans, they were able to stop CU's 3-0 run, with a goal of their own at 19:43, but Nemirov shot a laser past USC's goalie, Riley Hertford, to put the Buffs back up by three (5-2) at 18:19. Close to 10 minutes later, Nemirov recorded her second of the afternoon.
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The two sides battled for the remaining eight minutes of the half, but neither was able to score.
Â
The Trojans struck first in the second half less than two minutes in, but then at 24:16, Castillo found the back of the net to give the Buffs back their four-goal lead (7-3). That lead did not last long as USC responded with its second goal of the half at 23:25.
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Nemirov recorded her fifth hat trick of the season after she scored a goal off a pass from Chloe Willard at 18:03, but just like the Trojans had been doing all afternoon, they quickly responded, converting on a free-position attempt at 16:59. They added another quick goal at 16:34 to cut CU's lead to just two (8-6).
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Stinson scored her third goal of the game on a free-position attempt at 11:57 to give the Buffs a three-goal lead again, and again, it did not last long as USC scored at 11:12, bringing the score to 9-7. Â
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Both sides played well down the stretch. USC had a free-position attempt at 3:50, but Julia Lisella made a save to hold off the Trojans' attack. The Buffs went to clear, but turned the ball over and USC converted in transition to pull within one goal.
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The Buffs had control of the ball with 2:00 to play and used a timeout with 1:39 left. USC's Kerrigan Miller was issued a yellow card a short time later, giving the Buffs the man-advantage for the rest of the contest. But, with under a minute, CU lost possession and USC went back on the attack. The Trojans took a timeout with 35 second to play, but could not make anything happen as CU's defense stood tall to secure the win.
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KEY STATISTIC: Colorado's draw control wins in the first half helped the Buffs get out to a decent lead, putting CU in position to win the game. The Buffs won six of the nine draws in the first half; while in the second half, they managed four to USC's seven.
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NOTABLE:
- Samantha Nemirov extended her school record point scoring-streak to 31 games with a pair of goals
- This is the seventh time this season Miranda Stinson has scored at least three goals in a game
- This was CU's third ever win against the Trojans and the first at McAlister Field. USC still leads the all-time series 6-3
- CU is 4-0 on the road this season
- CU and USC both have one loss in conference play.
TEAM LEADERS:
| Colorado |
| Points: 13 |
| Goals: 9 |
| Assists: 4 |
| Draw Controls: 9 Â Â |
| Ground Balls: 18 |
| Saves: 8 |
| Southern California |
| Points: 12 |
| Goals: 8 |
| Assists: 4 |
| Draw Controls: 10 Â Â Â |
| Ground Balls: 30 |
| Saves: 9 |
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 UP NEXT: The Buffs will face Arizona State on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. MT, in Tempe, Ariz.  That game will be televised live on Pac-12 Network.
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QUOTEABLE:
Head Coach Ann Elliott Whidden
General statement
Not the prettiest game for us, but I am proud of our effort. We did a better job executing in settled situations on both ends of the field; I'm proud of that. We have to clean things up though. We had too many turnovers that hurt us down the stretch.
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I am proud of our fight and ability to stay composed enough to make the next play and hold on for the win. USC is a great team and we have struggled against them, especially here. It's a good win for us and one we really needed.
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Our focus is now on Sunday. That is now the most important game we have and we need to get refocused tonight on ASU.
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Team Stats
COLO
USC
Shots
22
27
Turnovers
22
20
Caused Turnovers
5
14
Draw Controls
9
10
Free-Position Shots
5
4
Ground Balls
18
30
Game Leaders
Players
G
3
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
1
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
1
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
1
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
A
/ LacrosseA
/ Lacrosse
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/ LacrosseA
/ LacrosseA
/ Lacrosse
A
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