Colorado
6-6, 4-2
USC
12-3, 7-1
Colorado Suffers Tough Loss To No. 20 USC
April 14, 2023 | Lacrosse
BOULDER – In an important game for the first place spot in the Pac-12 conference, Colorado lacrosse suffered a very close 16-13 defeat against the No. 20 USC Trojans here Friday afternoon. The game was played at the Indoor Practice Facility due to snowy weather conditions.
The Buffaloes (6-6, 4-2 Pac-12) had their way in the first half, scoring more goals, saving more shots and winning more draws than the Trojans (12-3, 7-1 Pac-12). However, in the second half, USC started to gain momentum by possessing the ball on offense and causing turnovers on defense.
"In terms of plays we made under pressure, we could have been a little more poised," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said after the game. "We tried to make a big play in those moments, and they didn't go our way. They went into turnovers so that was tough. Then, obviously, we had trouble getting some stops to get ourselves the ball back down the other end."
Colorado committed 18 total turnovers in the game, 10 of which came in the second half while the Trojans were making their comeback. Both teams won 17 draws each; however, the Buffs were unable to win a single draw in the fourth quarter which deemed to be crucial in terms of time of possession.
Charlie Rudy had a fantastic performance, scoring seven goals which was just one goal shy of tying her career-high. She is now the second all-time leading scorer for the Colorado Buffaloes with 176 goals, passing Johnna Fusco. Despite her amazing showing, Rudy wasn't pleased with the end result.
"It's definitely frustrating, but I think we're going to take this and learn a lot from it," said Rudy. "We know that we can come out strong in the Pac 12 tournament and know that we're a contender for the Pac-12 championship this year."
The Buffs will finish out the weekend with a matchup against Arizona State on Sunday at noon. Once that game concludes, Colorado will have just three regular-season games left, two of which are on the road.
"This is over now. We're still in contention to compete. As we look at the tournament, anything is still possible," Whidden stated. "Getting the bye in the first round is huge and to do that we have to shift our focus to Sunday and focus on that. We have to be successful on Sunday in order to continue to give ourselves the best chance as we get down to the end of the season."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Buffs took an early 2-0 lead over the Trojans with goals from Rudy and Sam McGee. Jess Peluso extended the Colorado lead to three with an unassisted goal with 10:01 remaining in the first quarter. Just 20 seconds later, Rudy picked up her second goal of the game, forcing a USC timeout. The Trojans scored their first goal on a free-position attempt to make it 4-1. Both teams traded goals before Rudy's third goal put CU up 6-2 with just over four and a half minutes to go. USC scored two unanswered goals to finish out the quarter, cutting its deficit to two at 6-4.
The Trojans struck first in the second quarter, scoring on a free-position attempt just under three minutes in. The Buffs bounced back with goals from Rudy and Zoe McElhaney to extend their lead to three at 8-5. USC then scored two goals of its own to come within one at 8-7. The Trojans tied the game at eight all with 2:56 remaining in the first half. Just over a minute later, Ashley Stokes gave Colorado the lead with a free-position goal. With 48 seconds left, McGee scored her third goal of the day on a nice assist from Liz Phillps as CU took a 10-8 lead. Rudy scored her fifth goal with just 14 seconds remaining.
With an 11-8 lead, Rudy scored yet another goal to put the Buffs up four at 12-8. With 8:29 left in the third quarter, USC called a timeout after a successful clear. Following the timeout, the Trojans scored back-to-back goals to make it a 12-10 game. Another USC goal brought the Trojans within just one at 12-11, forcing a Colorado timeout. After the break, USC scored another goal to tie the game at 12 all. Rudy put an end to the Trojans scoring run after scoring on a perfect pass from Sydney Zimmerman as the Buffs regained the lead at 13-12.
USC scored within the first minute of the fourth to tie things up once again at 13-13. The Trojans took the lead with a behind-the-back goal right on the crease with 12:24 remaining in the quarter. Shortly after, USC took a 15-13 lead. The Buffs were able to escape without surrendering any goals while down two players before calling a timeout later on with 2:35 left to go. The Trojans defense got a stop and then settled it on the offensive end before scoring a goal, taking a 16-13 lead and winning the game by three.
UP NEXT:
Colorado Lacrosse will stay at home to play Arizona State on Sunday, April 16th at 12:00 p.m. MT.
