Sunday, February 16
Berkeley, Calif.
2:00 PM
Colorado
0-2
6
vs
15
#24 USC
2-1
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado
2
1
2
1
6
USC
4
5
4
2
15
No. 21 Colorado Lacrosse Falls to No. 24 USC in Berkeley
February 16, 2025 | Lacrosse
BERKELEY, Calif. – The 21st-ranked Colorado lacrosse team (0-2, 0-0 Big 12) fell to the 24th-ranked USC Trojans (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten), 15-6, in a neutral game at California Memorial Stadium on Sunday.
The Buffs were unable to gain any momentum and struggled to execute against the Trojans. While CU went into the second half with more aggression, five untimely cards and a lack of on-target shots led to a banquet for USC's offense.
"Not a good weekend for us," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "I thought we were prepared as a team, offensively and defensively, but we didn't show it. That's on me. This team has experience and a ton of potential, but we have to learn how to win. The little things matter; we did not execute them well at all today. Defensively, we have to do better -- fifteen goals against is unacceptable in back-to-back games. We need to find ways to get more stops and ways to limit teams' opportunities. Offensively, we didn't execute for the second straight game. We got some opportunities and couldn't capitalize, and at times, we made poor decisions."
Three Buffs came up with two goals apiece against the Cardinal and Gold -- junior midfielder Maddie Shoup, graduate attacker Madeline Pisani and graduate attacker Kendall Havill. CU came out on top in the draw circle, 14-9, and outshot USC, 30-24.
KEY PLAYERS:
HOW IT HAPPENED:
UP NEXT:
MATCH NOTES:
For more information on the Colorado women's lacrosse team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and Twitter @CUBuffsWLax.
The Buffs were unable to gain any momentum and struggled to execute against the Trojans. While CU went into the second half with more aggression, five untimely cards and a lack of on-target shots led to a banquet for USC's offense.
"Not a good weekend for us," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "I thought we were prepared as a team, offensively and defensively, but we didn't show it. That's on me. This team has experience and a ton of potential, but we have to learn how to win. The little things matter; we did not execute them well at all today. Defensively, we have to do better -- fifteen goals against is unacceptable in back-to-back games. We need to find ways to get more stops and ways to limit teams' opportunities. Offensively, we didn't execute for the second straight game. We got some opportunities and couldn't capitalize, and at times, we made poor decisions."
Three Buffs came up with two goals apiece against the Cardinal and Gold -- junior midfielder Maddie Shoup, graduate attacker Madeline Pisani and graduate attacker Kendall Havill. CU came out on top in the draw circle, 14-9, and outshot USC, 30-24.
KEY PLAYERS:
- Jr. Midfielder Maddie Shoup had two goals for the Buffs as well as a ground ball and a caused turnover.
- Gr. Attacker Madeline Pisani also netted two goals. She notched an assist as well.
- Gr. Attacker Kendall Havill recorded two goals.
- Jr. Midfielder Lily Assini had an assist and three draw controls.
- So. Midfielder Emily Dodd recorded an assist and picked up a ground ball.
- Jr. Defender Jess Peluso led the team with eight draw controls and a ground ball.
- Sr. Defender Katie McLean caused four turnovers and picked up two ground balls.
- So. Attacker Teagan Ryan picked up a ground ball, and So. Midfielder Averi Gardner caused a turnover and had one draw control.
- Gr. Defender Jordan Johnson and Jr. Defender Mary Carson each caused a turnover.
- Jr. Midfielder Molly Reed picked up two ground balls, caused two turnovers and had two draw controls.
- For USC, Maddie Dora had five goals and Annie Shields had 12 saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Buffs were the winners in the draw circle, beating the Trojans 14-9. CU also outshot the Cardinal and Gold 30-24. The Black and Gold caused 10 turnovers to the Trojans' three and picked up 10 ground balls to the Trojans' six.
- Both teams began scoreless for the nine minutes of the first quarter until USC struck. After another Trojan goal, the Buffs kicked into gear with Shoup going on a tear, causing a turnover, picking up a ground ball and scoring CU's first goal of the day (2-1, USC). CU saw goal opportunities from Hill, Hanlon and Pisani, but after another USC goal, it was Shoup again who capitalized going into the final minute of the quarter (3-2, USC). The Trojans ended the quarter with another Emma Bunting goal in the last 30 seconds of the first quarter.
- Down Havill to start the second quarter, Bunting extended USC's lead to three with another goal (5-2, USC). On a draw control from Reed, the Black and Gold saw three shots in 20 seconds and a free position attempt by Pisani. The Buffs stayed determined but struggled to maintain possession even with draw controls from Assini and Peluso. Three saves from Heintz staved off five minutes of Trojan offense, but another goal forced the Buffs to take a timeout (8-2). Havill netted a goal for the Buffs at the end of the quarter, moving the score to 9-3.
- The Trojans tallied another two goals to start the third quarter, but Havill answered with her second goal on a feed from Dodd (11-4, USC). After Havill's goal, McLean and Reed each caused a turnover, and Peluso picked up a ground ball. Both teams were scoreless for seven minutes until Pisani recorded her first goal of the day (11-5). The Buffs couldn't catch a break as Dora scored back-to-back goals for the Trojans to end the period (13-5).
- CU remained scoreless, though Havill recorded two more shots on goal and Hill registered her fourth shot (15-5, USC). With three and a half minutes left in the fourth, Pisani became the third Buff with two goals with a man-down score. There was no treaty between the two former Pac-12 rivals, and USC kept its expansive lead, taking it 15-6.
- Whidden on the game overall: "Today we just got beat by a team that executed better – their top players made plays, and they wanted it more. It's early in the season, and we have 13 more opportunities ahead of us. That's a ton in front of us, and we need to focus one thing at a time."
UP NEXT:
- CU goes on its second road trip next week to face No. 2 Northwestern at Ryan Fieldhouse in Evanston, Ill. Opening draw against the Wildcats is set for 6 p.m. MT on Feb. 21. Fans can watch the game on B1G+ and can follow along via Twitter @CUBuffsWLAX.
- Whidden on preparation for the Wildcats: "We are playing one of top teams in country come Friday. We need to continue to believe in ourselves and what we are capable of. As a staff, we must do better to prepare this team and think about what areas we can make changes in to put ourselves in a better position. For the players, they need to take ownership and be ready to play a full 60 minutes."
MATCH NOTES:
- Colorado moves to 6-15 all-time against USC.
- The Buffs' neutral record against the Trojans falls to 2-4.
- CU moves to 122-69 (.639) all-time.
For more information on the Colorado women's lacrosse team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and Twitter @CUBuffsWLax.
Team Stats
CU
USC
Shots
32
24
Turnovers
12
16
Caused Turnovers
10
3
Draw Controls
14
9
Free-Position Shots
4
1
Ground Balls
11
6
Game Leaders
Players
G
2
A
0
FO
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Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
G
2
A
0
FO
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Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
0
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
Players Mentioned
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