No. 25 Colorado Lacrosse Gears Up for Road Clash With No. 3 Northwestern

BOULDER – The 25th-ranked Colorado lacrosse team (0-2, 0-0 Big 12) goes on its second road trip of the season for a joust with No. 3 Northwestern (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) this Friday in a single-game week.

The Buffs face the Wildcats for just the sixth time in program history on Feb. 21 at Ryan Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. MT. CU last faced Northwestern in the 2024 season, recording a 19-14 loss at home (Feb. 22). A year and a day later, the Buffs are looking for their first victory of the 2025 season against the Cats.

Colorado came up empty-handed after its opening weekend on the road against then-No. 15 Stanford and then-No. 24 USC. The Buffs came out ahead of the Cardinal in the first half, leading by as many as five goals, but could not put it away and fell 15-10. CU struggled early against USC, giving up six unanswered goals in the first half, and lost 15-6. The Black and Gold are now 9-14 all-time against the Cardinal and 6-15 versus the Trojans.

THIS WEEK
GAME #3 • Friday, February 21 • 5 p.m. MT
No. 25 Colorado (0-2, 0-0 Big 12) vs. No. 3 Northwestern (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Ryan Fieldhouse • Evanston, Ill.
SERIES RECORD: 1-4, Northwestern Leads
LAST MEETING: L, 14-19 (February 22, 2024 • Boulder, Colo.)
STREAK: Lost 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 1-4
TV: B1G+
OPPONENT WEBSITE: NUSports.com

OPENING DRAW (TL;DR)

CU is led by 12th-year head coach Ann Elliott Whidden, who has led the Buffs to a 122-69 (.639) record as CU's first and only head lacrosse coach. Coach Whidden has led the Buffs to three NCAA tournament appearances.
After stints in the MPSF and Pac-12, Colorado is playing the 2025 season in the Big 12 Conference for its inaugural lacrosse season. In conference play, the Buffs will go head-to-head with Arizona State and Cincinnati from the Big 12, as well as Florida, UC Davis and San Diego State who are conference affiliates. CU lacrosse is 64-26 (.711) all-time in conference play.
Following the first 11 seasons of CU Lacrosse at Kittredge Field, the team will now call Prentup Field home. As the Lacrosse Buffs enter the Big 12, CU was granted the honor of hosting the first-ever Big 12 Lacrosse Championship at the conclusion of the regular season.
So. A Teagan Ryan recorded her first-ever hat trick for the Buffs against the Cardinal (Feb. 13). She also picked up three ground balls on the weekend.
Gr. A Madeline Pisani led the Buffs in scoring last weekend with seven total points (6G, 1A). She had a .769 shots on goal percentage, picked up a ground ball and had only one foul over the two games. Pisani goes into week two of the 2025 season at sixth in the Big 12 for goals per game (3.00), eighth for points per game (3.50) and fourth for shots per game (6.50).
Sr. D Kaite McLean led the team in caused turnovers against USC with four on the day (Feb. 16). She also picked up two ground balls against the Trojans and managed two draw controls against the Cardinal (Feb. 13). She is second in the Big 12 for caused turnovers per game (2.50).
Jr. M Lily Assini had three assists on the weekend (one against USC, two against Stanford) and is currently fifth in the Big 12 for assists per game (1.50).
Gr. D Jordan Johnson finished the weekend with five ground balls and three caused turnovers. She is fourth in the Big 12 in ground balls per game (2.50) and seventh for CTOs per game (1.50).
Jr. D Jess Peluso worked around the clock for CU on opening weekend, coming up with four ground balls, two caused turnovers and 11 draw controls. She is third in the Big 12 for draw controls per game (5.50), and recorded her career-high with eight draws over USC (Feb. 16).
Gr. A Morgan Pence made her post-injury debut for the Buffs against Stanford, picking up three points (1G, 2A) in her return (Feb. 13).

ROAM WITH THE BUFFS: The Buffs' game against the Wildcats will be broadcast on B1G+. Fans can also follow the Colorado game through live stats with links available at CUBuffs.com.

THAT FELINE BEAT: Colorado will face Northwestern on Wildcat turf this week. This marks the sixth meeting all-time between the Wildcats and the Buffs. CU met with Northwestern once last year at home where the Wildcats took it, 19-14 (Feb. 22). The last time the Buffs beat the Wildcats was in Boulder in 2017 as a result of an overtime win, 11-10 (Feb. 12, 2017).

BUFFS IN THE POLLS: After the first week of the Buffs' season, Colorado comes in at 25 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll, continuing its streak of being ranked in season since Feb. 12, 2024. CU did not receive votes in the other two polls.

HAT TRICK CITY!: So. A Teagan Ryan recorded her first-ever hat trick for the Buffs against the Cardinal (Feb. 13). Gr. A Madeline Pisani recorded her 15th hat trick against Stanford, finishing with four goals (Feb. 13).

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Gr. A Madeline Pisani is currently four points away from 100 career-points for the Buffs. She totals 81 goals and 15 assists, having finished last season with 75 goals and 14 assists (89 points). Jr. M Lily Assini currently sits at 74 career draw controls, 26 away from 100.

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 on Twitter @CUBuffsWLax.

No. 25 Colorado Lacrosse Gears Up for Road Clash With No. 3 Northwestern

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Jordan Johnson

Jess Peluso

Morgan Pence

Madeline Pisani

Teagan Ryan

No. 25 Colorado Lacrosse Gears Up for Road Clash With No. 3 Northwestern

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Jordan Johnson

Jess Peluso

Morgan Pence

Madeline Pisani

Teagan Ryan

Related Videos