Colorado
3-1
Northwestern
3-1
Colorado Falls at Home to Northwestern
February 22, 2024 | Lacrosse
BOULDER — The No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes lacrosse team (3-1) fell short to No. 4 Northwestern (3-1) by a score of 19-14 here at Kittredge Field Thursday afternoon.
"Tough result for us," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "It was a great opportunity for us to get to play the defending National Champions and top ranked team. I am proud of the way our team stepped on the field and competed - confident, aggressive and disciplined. We were in the game throughout but the little things got us in the end. We will focus on the importance of those small moments and how they play into the difference of being in the game or a few goals game, every play counts."
Despite the loss, the Buffs had three players with at least three goals in the contest. Madeline Pisani, Eve Hritzuk, and Maddie Shoup each with three goals a piece, contributed to nine of the 14 scores by CU on the day.
Pisani has now scored at least three or more times in all four games this season, bringing her season goal total to 16.
Hritzuk logged three goals against her former team, and has now found the back of the net in every game so far. She joins Ashley Stokes and Pisani as the only CU players to score at least once in each of the first four games of the 2024 campaign.
Shoup's three goals in the contest marked a career-high for the sophomore midfielder as she now has six goals on the young season. She also contributed two caused turnovers and two draw controls in Thursday's loss.
Lily Assini was flying around the field for CU Thursday, stuffing the stat sheet. She had three assists, two ground balls, two draw controls, and one caused turnover.
Goalkeeper Danielle Heintz saw plenty of action in front of the net, seeing a season-high 43 shots faced, but had a career-high 11 saves for a .367 save percentage. NU had 17 free position attempts overall but Colorado held the Wildcats to just eight goals on those opportunities.
"I am proud of this group in general," coach Whidden said. "We have a lot of potential and need to continue to get better. The fight is there, the belief is there, we just have to continue to get better and continue to find ways to give ourselves more possession. Our middies are playing well on both ends of the field, Maddie and Emily both had a great day offensively and Lily and Molly generated some quality opportunities as well - we will finish those moving forward."
Colorado's 14 goals against NU marks the second-highest score for the Buffs this season, after scoring 16 in the season-opener win over Louisville.
Northwestern's Madison Taylor led all goal-scorers with six, scoring all of her goals on free position attempts, going a perfect 6-6.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both squads came firing out of the gate, trading goals back and forth. The former Wildcat Hritzuk slapped one in the back of the net for CU to gain a 1-0 lead early on. Colorado would go on to take a 3-1 lead after scores from Shoup and Rachel Kennedy with 10:28 left in the first.
NU then got a kick start to their offense, scoring three consecutive goals in the next three minutes to take a 4-3 lead. Sydney Zimmerman assisted another Shoup goal and then scored herself, her first of the season, to put CU up 5-4. The Wildcats scored two consecutive goals for yet another lead change, but it was Shoup who scored her third goal of the quarter to tie things up at six at the end of one.
Colorado's Stokes put the Buffs up 7-6 with 10:57 left in the half, but it would be all Wildcats until the final two minutes. Northwestern found their stride, scoring the next five goals to take a commanding 11-7 lead with 1:55 remaining.
Emily Dodd scored her first career goal at Kittredge Field with 1:26 left to bring the deficit to three. In the final seconds of the first half, Pisani found the net for the first time all game with just one second on the clock, cutting the Northwestern lead to just wo at the break.
Northwestern would go on to double up Colorado (6-3) in the third quarter. Pisani, Stokes, and Hritzuk all scored for the second time on the day in the quarter. NU had a 17-12 lead headed into the final 15 minutes of play.
The Wildcats scored the first two goals in the final quarter, to go up seven and wouldn't look back. Colorado couldn't get anything going until Pisani scored on a free position shot with 3:30 left in regulation. Hritzuk scored in the final minute for the Buffs, but it wouldn't be enough.
FINAL QUOTE
"This team continues to stick to the plan when things get tough and they stick together," Ann stated. "That will be a difference maker for us as we continue. This group is not satisfied by the result today, we are proud of a lot of things we did but we know we have more in us. It is a great group and we are excited about our challenges coming up. We head to Michigan for two big games for us, and then to Marquette. As Ive said before, winning on the road is key for us - we have to find a way to be successful on the road to be successful this season. We will regroup and get focused on what's next."
UP NEXT
Colorado will now head on the road next week for three games against Central Michigan, Michigan, and Marquette.
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE
Stokes for the lead ??#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/ilbGJxbSwq
— Colorado Buffaloes Lacrosse (@CUBuffsWLax) February 22, 2024
It wouldn't be a half without a Pisani score ??
— Colorado Buffaloes Lacrosse (@CUBuffsWLax) February 22, 2024
From DOWNTOWN and we trail by two.#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/D8Tzi54rKm
At the break ??#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/hfRI7KcxKj
— Colorado Buffaloes Lacrosse (@CUBuffsWLax) February 22, 2024
