Colorado Lacrosse Falls to Dartmouth in Houston

HOUSTON – The Colorado lacrosse team (4-5, 0-0 Big 12) fell to Dartmouth (6-3, 0-2 Ivy League), 11-9, at TDECU Stadium in a neutral game in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, Mar. 23.

Both teams fought hard and competed well in the first half, with the Buffs entering the second half only down by one. CU struggled in the third quarter, unable to obtain possession off the draw. Colorado scored off goals from junior midfielder Maddie Shoup and graduate attacker Kendall Havill – both assisted by graduate attacker Madeline Pisani – but the Buffs were unable to come back against the Big Green, falling 11-9.

"Obviously, not the outcome we wanted but we have to keep learning, believing and moving forward," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said after the game. "I am proud of this group, I love this group. We have been playing shorthanded, in different ways, for weeks now, and they continue to find a way to compete in these games. It isn't an excuse – we have the ability to win these games and need to find ways to make more plays than the other team."

Colorado still saw offensive opportunities in the second half, out-shooting Dartmouth 10-5 and 29-16 overall. The Buffs had 11 ground balls to the Big Green's nine, and 10 caused turnovers to their zero.

"Today we missed a couple things defensively where I thought we were in the right spots and could make the play; something we did well in our last game," Whidden said. "Credit to Dartmouth for their execution offensively. Offensively for us, we generated some quality opportunities and have to find a way to finish better. Their goalie played great today with 13 saves, and on many occasions where I felt we made the right play and took a good shot, she came up with the save. This is first game we lost where I felt we committed to game plan for 60 minutes, played pretty well but didn't make enough plays on either end or on the draw to give ourselves more possessions."

KEY PLAYERS:

Jr. M Molly Reed had one goal, two caused turnovers, two ground balls and two draw controls.
Jr. D Jess Peluso had two ground balls, a draw control and caused two turnovers.
Jr. D Mack Hanlon had two ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Jr. M Maddie Shoup and Gr. A Kendall Havill recorded two goals each for the Buffs.
So. M Averi Gardner led the team in caused turnovers with three and had two draw controls.
Gr. A Madeline Pisani had two goals and three assists for the Buffs, including one free-position goal.
So. A Teagan Ryan had one goal and managed one ground ball.
Jr. M Lily Assini had one assist, two ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover.
Fr. GK Elena Oh had three saves and one ground ball.
Sr. D Katie McLean had a ground ball, and So. A Jaimey Hill had a goal.
For Dartmouth, Gisele Todd had 13 saves, and Fiona O'Keeffe had four points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Though Dartmouth opened scoring for both teams, Pisani answered early with a goal two minutes later (1-1). There was a bit of back and forth between the two teams in the first quarter, with Havill, Pisani and Reed seeing goals for the Buffs. Reed's goal came as the clock expired and put CU two goals ahead (4-2).
The Big Green came out hot to start the second quarter, scoring three-straight (5-4, DC). Shoup answered with an unassisted goal, and Ryan saw her first goal of the game to even up the score – assisted by Pisani (6-6, DC). Dartmouth scored again, but back-to-back cards for the Big Green gave the Buffs a man-up opportunity and Hill capitalized (7-7). The half ended with Colorado down by one (8-7, DC).
CU didn't manage to score in the third quarter, but the Buff defense kept them in the game. Samantha Bennett scored for Dartmouth, bringing its lead to two (9-7). Peluso caused two turnovers, Gardner caused one and Reed caused another to prevent the Big Green offense from taking off.
Both teams yearned for the win, with CU seeing the second goal of the day from both Shoup and Havill (10-9, DC). Gardner, Hanlon and Gardner all caused turnovers, and CU took a timeout to regroup with three minutes left. The Dartmouth defense held strong for the remainder of the half, and CU fell, 11-9.

UP NEXT:

Colorado begins Big 12 Conference play on the road next week against San Diego State. The Buffs will play one game on Saturday, Mar. 29, at Aztec Field. Opening draw against the Aztecs is set for 2 p.m. MT. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ and can follow along via Twitter @CUBuffsWLAX.
Whidden on starting Big 12 play: "We start Big 12 play next weekend, and we are on the road again for two weeks in a row. We have to turn our focus to that. We have had a tough nonconference schedule and need to take all we have learned from those nine games into conference play. We still have a ton ahead of us to do!"

MATCH NOTES:

CU moves to 126-72 (.636) all-time and 0-2 in neutral games this season.
This is the Buffs are now 3-2 all-time against Ivy League opponents.
Gr. A Kendall Havill is two points away from 200 career points.

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.

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Team Stats

Maddie Shoup

Kendall Havill

Madeline Pisani

Jaimey Hill

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Averi Gardner

Mack Hanlon

Kendall Havill

Jaimey Hill

Katie McLean

Elena Oh

Jess Peluso

Madeline Pisani

Molly Reed

Teagan Ryan

Maddie Shoup

Players Mentioned

Lily Assini

Averi Gardner

Mack Hanlon

Kendall Havill

Jaimey Hill

Katie McLean

Elena Oh

Jess Peluso

Madeline Pisani

Molly Reed

Teagan Ryan

Maddie Shoup