Colorado
0-3
Denver
3-0
Buffs Fall to No. 10 Denver in Home Opener
February 18, 2023 | Lacrosse
Charlie Rudy scores her third hat trick of the season
BOULDER – Colorado Lacrosse was unable to pull off the comeback over No. 10 Denver here Saturday afternoon at Kittredge Field as the Buffs fell 9-8.
In its first home game of the season, CU was taken down by the Pioneers in another close game where Colorado missed on multiple opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net.
"I think we're lacking the intensity that we need to win in spots," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said after the game. "Defensively, we're having mental lapses and offensively, we're not playing with a lot of purpose. We're expecting things to just be easy down there and it's cost us now three games."
The Buffs (0-3) lost by one in overtime in their first game of the season and had chances to win the game late. They faced another tight game in the final minutes against Denver (3-0) today when they cut their deficit to just one with 1:25 remaining. The Buffs were also a player up at the time.
"Hopefully our team's mindset was that we could still win," said Whidden. "We were one play away. We got four stops on defense under four minutes to get us the ball back. We got the draw we needed at the end of the game. We've just got to find a way to execute better offensively in those moments that matter."
Charlie Rudy and Sam McGee led the offense this afternoon, both recording hat tricks. In three games, Rudy has had three hat tricks made up of 11 goals. Rudy also added two assists while McGee had one.
On the defensive end, goalkeeper Grace Donnelly totaled 10 saves on 19 shots on goal. The defense as a whole caused 10 Denver turnovers and the clearing unit converted 19 of 21 clears.
The Colorado Lacrosse team has a long break before its next game on March 3rd when it will face off against the Michigan Wolverines in Boulder.
"We got two weeks to prepare for a very good Michigan team at home. We're just going to have to challenge ourselves a little bit more in practice so that we're a little tougher when we come out in these moments," Whidden said. "I think the message is obviously my staff has to rethink the way we're playing. We have to figure out what else we can do to help us win. I think on them (the players) is to realize they have all the potential, everything's there. I think we have enough leaders on this team to do that."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Denver struck first in the game, scoring a goal 5:35 into the first quarter. The Pioneers scored again two minutes later and then another time with just nine seconds left in the quarter. The Buffs had five free position attempts but were unable to capitalize on the opportunities. Three of Denver's four shots were goals as it took a 3-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Rudy put the Buffs on the board, scoring on a cut across the middle within the first 1:30 of the second quarter. One minute later, McGee ripped one into the back of the net on a slow break set up by Rudy, cutting Colorado's deficit to just one at 3-2. Later on, Denver made it 5-2 after scoring off a clear while player down. CU answered back when McGee shot top shelf on a free position attempt, making it 5-3. The Pioneers extended their lead to three with five seconds remaining in the half.
The Buffs had 14 shots compared to Denver's eight but found themselves trailing 6-3 at halftime. They had six free position attempts in the first half but were only able to score on one of them. Colorado was 9-9 on clears and had seven ground balls compared to the Pioneers' single ground ball.
Denver scored right off the bat to open up the second half, scoring just nine seconds in. Rudy responded for Colorado to keep CU within three at 7-4. Donnelly helped the Buffs to keep it close in the third with back-to-back impressive saves on the defensive end. Both teams traded goals to make it 8-5 with 2:43 left in the third. With 19 seconds to go, the Pioneers scored following a Colorado turnover to take a 9-5 lead.
Rudy recorded a hat trick on a face dodge followed by a bounce shot placed perfectly into the top right corner to make it 9-6 with 13:20 left in regulation. On a CU player up, McGee also recorded a hat trick on a goal assisted by Rudy to bring the Buffs within two goals. With 1:25 left in the game, Rudy cut Colorado's deficit to just one at 9-8 on a free position goal. CU retained possession on the draw and then earned a player up opportunity but turned the ball over before Denver called a timeout with 25 seconds left. The Pioneers ran out the clock and won 9-8.
UP NEXT:
Colorado Lacrosse will play the Michigan Wolverines in Boulder on Friday, March 3rd at 3:00 p.m. MT.
