Buffs To Face Southern California In Pac-12 Tournament Semifinal

BOULDER — Colorado will take on No. 2 seed Southern California in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Conference Lacrosse Tournament on Thursday, May 6, at 8:30 p.m. MT at Stanford Stadium. The winner will move on to the title game with a trip to the NCAA Championship on the line.

The Buffs, who finished as the No. 3 seed, are heading straight to the semifinals since the No. 5 seed, Oregon, had to withdraw from the tournament because of COVID-19 protocols within the program.

"Obviously we wanted everybody to be at the Pac-12 Tournament and able to compete," Colorado coach Ann Elliott Whidden said last week. "Having an extra day for us is big because we are in the middle of finals and for us to be able to complete finals before we play will help us out a ton and we will focus then."

Original first round match-ups had the Ducks facing No. 4 Arizona State, while CU was set to take on No. 6 California on Wednesday, May 5. With UO pulling out of the tournament, Cal will now face ASU in the only first round match-up on May 5. The winner of that contest will advance to the semifinals to play top-seeded Stanford on Thursday at 5 p.m. before the Buffs and Trojans play. The championship game will be played on Saturday, May 8, at 1 p.m. MT.

All tournament games will be televised on Pac-12 Network. Troy Clardy will have the call, while Kara Lentz will provide the color.

ABOUT COLORADO: The Buffaloes finished the regular season with a 7-6 record. Three of their 10 conference games were canceled, included both against the Ducks, but even so, the Buffaloes finished with a 4-3 mark.

Charlie Rudy leads the team with 45 goals this season, which is second in the Pac-12 and is 25^th in the NCAA. Sadie Grozier is second on the team, seventh on the conference, with 30 goals and Zoe Lawless has 26 goals for third on the team. Grozier and Rudy are both closing in on 100 career goals. Grozier has 98 entering Thursday's game, while Rudy has 91. Chloe Willard leads the team with 14 assists.

CU has been improving in the draw circle. Kate Burnside leads the way with 51, while Liz Phillips is second with 26 and Eliza Cahill is third with 25. In net, Lisella has played all 783:21 minutes for the Buffs. She has recorded a 10.65 goals-against average to lead the Pac-12 and her 49.1 saves percentage is also first in the conference as well as 12^th in the NCAA. Lisella has made a league-leading 134 stops and her 10.31 saves per game not only ranks first in the Pac-12 but is 13^th in the nation. She recently recorded her 500^th career save and currently has 510.

ABOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: The Trojans finished 9-6 overall and earned the No. 2 seed with a 6-3 record in conference play. The only game that was canceled was against Stanford.

Kelsey Huff has scored a team-best 35 goals this season, while a pair of teammates, Issy McMahon and Ella Hearney have each recorded 30 goals. McMahon has also added 21 assists for a team-best 51 points. Maddie McDaniels ranks second in the Pac-12 and fourth in the nation in draw controls with 144 (9.60 per game).

In goal, Riley Hertford leads the team with 33 ground balls. She is averaging a 42.9 saves percentage and has allowed 12.21 goals against.

THE SERIES: USC leads the all-time series 8-4, but this season each team has won on its home field. The Trojans took the first meeting in L.A, an 18-12 decision, on March 26. Then seven days later in Boulder, the Buffs recorded a five-goal come-from-behind win to take down the Trojans 13-11. CU held USC scoreless while making the comeback, scoring the final seven goals of the game.

Buffs To Face Southern California In Pac-12 Tournament Semifinal

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Players Mentioned

Kate Burnside

Eliza Cahill

Sadie Grozier

Zoe Lawless

Liz Phillips

Charlie Rudy

Chloe Willard