Buffs Finish Homestand With Game Against Presbyterian
BOULDER - The University of Colorado lacrosse team wraps up its three-game homestand on Monday, March 2 when the Buffaloes play Presbyterian at 3 p.m. at Kittredge Field.
The Buffaloes (1-1) will look to win their second straight game after defeating Marquette the last time they took the field on Feb. 14. Sophomore Johnna Fusco leads the Buffs offensively with seven goals and two assists this season.
Monday's game will be the first meeting between the Buffs and Blue Hose. Presbyterian enters the contest 0-2 on the young season after dropping its first two games against Oregon and Furman.
A free livestream and live stats of Monday's game will be available online at CUBuffs.com.
QUICKLY: The University of Colorado lacrosse team (1-1) finishes its three-game homestand to open the 2015 season with a contest against Presbyterian College on Monday, March 2 at 3 p.m. The Buffaloes will try for its second straight win after defeating Marquette for its first victory of the year the last time they took the field two weeks ago.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: For those members of the media wishing to interview the women's lacrosse team during the season, please contact Assistant Sports Information Director/Lacrosse Contact Ashley Braun at (303) 492-7525 or ashley.braun@colorado.edu
DON'T MISS A MINUTE: A live stream and live stats of Monday's contest will be available online at CUBuffs.com.
COLORADO VS. PRESBYTERIAN: Monday's game will be the first meeting between the Buffaloes and Blue Hose.
SCOUTING THE BLUE HOSE: Presbyterian enters the game 0-2 on the season, falling to Oregon and Furman in its first two contests. It will be the Blue Hose's first road game of the year. Presbyterian has struggled offensively in the young season, being outscored by its opponents 32-5. Five different players have one goal each and senior Katy Richardson leads the team with two assists.
LAST TIME OUT: The Buffs picked up their first win of the season when they defeated Marquette 13-5 at home on February 14. Sophomore Johnna Fusco led CU with four goals and newcomer Blair Sisk tallied her first career hat trick. Goalkeeper Paige Soenksen made 10 saves and scooped up one ground ball. The Buffs held Marquette to 17 shots and forced 15 turnovers.
WHO'S RETURNING: The Buffs return 19 (18 sophomores and one junior) for their 2015 campaign. All 12 starters are back in a black and gold uniform, led by sophomore, midfielder Johnna Fusco who recorded 62 points off 45 goals and 17 assists in CU's debut season. Fusco was first in goals, points and shots last year for Colorado. Six Buffs tallied double-digit goal totals in 2014 and each return to compete again this year, including Sarah Lautman, a junior midfielder and CU's only upperclassman.
WHO'S NEW: CU welcomes 12 newcomers- all freshmen to its young squad. The new Buffaloes have come from all across the country with seven from the east coast, two Minnesota natives, one from the west coast and three Coloradans. The team's latest additions include seven midfielders, four attackers, a defender and one goalkeeper.
MPSF COACHES' POLL: CU was picked to finish fifth in the 2015 Preseason Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll. The Buffs received 46 points. Reigning MPSF Champion Denver took the top spot, receiving seven of the possible 10 first-place votes.
1. Denver
2. Stanford
3. USC
4. Oregon
5. COLORADO
6. San Diego State
7. California
8. UC Davis
9. Fresno State
10. St. Mary's
NEW COMPETITION: Colorado will face off against some new opponents this year, adding Marquette, Presbyterian, Northwestern, Michigan, Boston College and UMass Lowell to its schedule.
A LOOK BACK: In 2014, the inaugural season for the Colorado lacrosse program, the Buffaloes built a solid foundation as they continue to develop the program for the future. As a first year member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the Buffs turned in an impressive 11-8 overall record and finished tied for third in the league with a 6-3 mark. Colorado earned a spot in the MPSF Tournament and advanced to the semifinals after a thrilling overtime victory in the first round.
HOME SWEET HOME: In 2015, Colorado will look to continue taking advantage of its home field throughout the season. The Buffs boasted an impressive 6-2 mark at Kittredge Field during their inaugural campaign. CU posted identical 3-1 records against non-conference and conference opponents while playing at home.
CAPTAINS: The Buffs will turn to their three captains for leadership on and off the field this year. The 2015 co-captains are sophomores Sophia Gambitsky (goalkeeper), Marie Moore (midfielder) and Molly Rovzar (defender).
SUCCESSFUL SOENKSEN: Paige Soenksen, the 2014 MPSF Rookie of the Year, not only the anchor of CU's defense last season, but also shined as one of the nation's top shot blockers. Soenksen started all 19 of CU's games, helping the Buffs to 11 wins. She ranked second in the nation in saves (203) and posted a .525 save percentage. She held a 10.08 goals-against average, spending over 1,095 minutes between the pipes. Soenksen earned back-to-back MPSF Rookie of the Week titles during the 2014 regular season as well. Her first came after a trip to her home state of California, where she combined for 28 saves and an incredible .609 save percentage in games against UC Davis and then-No. 8 Stanford. Against the Cardinal last year, Soenksen recorded a career-high and MPSF season-high-tying 19 saves. Continuing her strong defensive presence in the following week, Soenksen helped the Buffs to back-to-back overtime victories over USC and San Diego State. She tallied 27 saves and seven ground balls that weekend, recording a career-high four ground balls against SDSU. In CU's double-overtime thriller MPSF quarterfinal against SDSU, Soenksen grabbed 10 saves, including seven in the first half alone.
MEET MARIE MOORE: A key return from the 2014 roster, Marie Moore turned in a solid freshman season in the Buffs' inaugural year, earning a spot on the All-MPSF Second Team. Moore led the team with 68 draw controls, outpacing the nearest Buff by 18. Moore also had a team-high 43 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.
DEFENSE IS KEY: Defense was a major part of the Buffs' success during their 2014 campaign. Perri Baker, Maddie DeWinter and Molly Rovzar were consistent factors in CU's defense. Baker proved strong on the draw, ranking third on the team with 28 draw controls, 29 ground balls and second with 14 caused turnovers. DeWinter was the only defensive field player to record points last season, netting her first collegiate goal and contributing an assist in CU's 19-5 victory over St. Mary's. In total during 2014, DeWinter had 28 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers and 11 draw controls. Rovzar held a balanced stat line with 17 ground balls, seven draw controls
and six caused turnovers.
TIME CHANGE VS. MICHIGAN: The start time of Colorado's game in Ann Arbor, Mich. against the Michigan Wolverines on March 22 has changed. The game originally scheduled for 11 a.m. MT will now begin at 1 p.m. MT and televised on the Big Ten Network.
NEXT UP: Colorado hits the road for the first time this season when the Buffaloes travel to Evanston, Ill. to face Northwestern on Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. MT. It will be the first meeting between the two programs and a return to a familiar place for head coach Ann Elliott and her staff, who are all NU alumni.