Buffs Host Pair Of MPSF Opponents, UC Davis And Stanford
BOULDER - The University of Colorado lacrosse team has reached the halfway point of the regular season and will host two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponents this weekend.
Colorado welcomes the UC Davis Aggies to Kittredge Field for the first time on Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m. MT and then closes out the weekend against No. 13 Stanford on Sunday, April 5 at 12 p.m. MT.
The Buffaloes (5-2, 0-1) are 1-0 all-time against the Aggies, defeating them last season on the road. UC Davis enters Friday's game with a 1-7 record this season and is led by senior Elizabeth Landry who has tallied 24 goals and five assists in eight games.
CU is looking for its first win against Stanford after falling in their two previous meetings last year, once in the regular season and then in the MPSF tournament semifinals. The 13th-ranked Cardinal is 5-2 and will play Denver on Friday before traveling to Boulder. Stanford started the year with four straight wins, but has since dropped two of its last three contests.
A livestream of Friday's game is available on CUBuffs.com. Sunday's match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Jason Knapp has the call alongside Kara Lentz.
QUICKLY: The University of Colorado lacrosse team (5-3, 0-1 MPSF) has reached the halfway point of the regular season and will play conference opponents the rest of the way. CU hosts UC Davis on Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m. MT and then faces off against No. 13 Stanford on Sunday, April 5 at 12 p.m. MT. The Buffs are looking for their first conference win of the season. They opened their MPSF schedule in their first game this year (Feb. 11) against Denver, falling 10-6 at home.
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 livestream of Friday's game will be available on CUBuffs.com and Sunday's contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Jason Knapp has the call alongside Kara Lentz. Live stats for both games will also be available on CUBuffs.com.
COLORADO VS. UC DAVIS: The game on Friday will mark the second time the Buffs and Aggies square off. Colorado holds a 1-0 record against UC Davis, defeating the Aggies 14-5 last season in their first ever meeting.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES: UC Davis holds a 1-7 record entering Friday's game as the Aggies make their first trip to Boulder. Although they have seven losses, four of those have been decided by three goals or less. UC Davis' attack is anchored by senior Elizabeth Landry who has tallied 24 goals and five assists in eight games. Goalkeeper Kai Murphy has played the majority of the minutes between the posts and holds the decision (1-6) in seven of her team's eight games.
COLORADO VS. STANFORD: The Buffs are 0-2 in two games against the Cardinal. CU fell 13-5 to Stanford last year in the regular season and 15-6 in the MPSF tournament semifinals. Sunday's game will mark the first time Stanford travels to Boulder.
SCOUTING THE CARDINAL: No. 13 Stanford is 5-2 this season and faces Denver on Friday before visiting Boulder for the first time on Sunday. After beginning the year with four straight wins, the Cardinal have dropped two of its last three contests. Five players each have scored at least 10 or more goals, led by Lucy Dikeou who has 18 on the season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Buffs concluded its three-game road trip and non-conference schedule with a win over UMass Lowell, defeating the River Hawks 17-7. Colorado was led by freshman Darby Kiernan who scored four goals and a trio of Buffs netted hat tricks as they finished the trip with a 2-1 record.
PROGRAM FIRSTS: In the Buffaloes' game against Presbyterian on March 2, CU turned in a record setting performance for the black and gold, posting the largest margin of victory (19), allowed the fewest number of goals (0), shots (5), assists (0) and points (0) by an opponent and tallied their first shutout in program history. The Buffs also recorded the second most points in a single-game (25) and tied a program record with 19 goals.
HATRICKS ALL AROUND: Six Buffaloes have recorded hat tricks this season. Johnna Fusco leads the pack with six in eight games. Kiernan has five. Freshman Blair Sisk follows with three, and sophomores Cali Castagnola and Katie Macleay along with freshman Taylor Oliver each have one.
FEARLESS FRESHMEN: In their first collegiate season playing for the black and gold, Kiernan and Sisk have made an immediate impact, each contributing in a variety of ways for the Buffs. Kiernan has started all eight games and is first on the team with 17 ground balls and second with 20 goals. She already has five hat tricks this season and has one five-goal game in her pocket (at Michigan on March 22). Sisk also continues to develop in her role on the attack. The midfielder from Greenwood Village, Colo. has started seven of eight games and joins Fusco, Kiernan and Macleay as one of only four Buffs in double-digit scoring. Sisk ranks third on the team with 15 goals. She also boasts an impressive .900 SOG percentage, as 27 of her 30 shots have been put on frame.
FIERCE FUSCO: Sophomore Johnna Fusco continues to be a main contributor on the attack each week. She leads the Buffaloes in goals (24), points (27), shots (51), shots on goal (40) and is 12-20 on free position shots.
MULTI-GOAL PERFORMANCES: Seven different Buffs have recorded at least one multi-goal game in 2015. Fusco has seven, Kiernan has six, Sisk has five, Macleay has four, Castagnola with two, and Taylor Oliver, Tori Link and Amanda Salvadore have one multi-goal performance a piece.
SCORING STREAKS: Five Buffs have active scoring streaks on the line heading into Friday's game. Fusco has scored at least one goal in every game this season (eight straight). Kiernan and Sisk have found the back of the net seven straight times, Katie Macleay has tallied one goal in four consecutive contests and Marie Moore holds a three-game scoring streak.
NEW COMPETITION: Colorado faced six first-time opponents on its schedule this year: Marquette, Presbyterian, Northwestern, Michigan, Boston College and UMass Lowell. The Buffs were 4-2 against them, with wins over Marquette. Michigan and Presbyterian and UMass Lowell.
MPSF HONORS: Three Buffaloes swept the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week honors for their standout performances the week of March 16-22. Kiernan was awarded Offensive Player of the Week, goalkeeper Paige Soenksen won Defensive Player of the Week and Sisk earned Rookie of the Week honors.
NEXT UP: Colorado begins a four-game road trip, first playing at USC on Friday, April 10 and then at San Diego State on Sunday, April 12 to finish the weekend.
COLORADO'S RECORD WHEN:
Home.........................................................................................................3-1
Away..........................................................................................................2-2
Leading at halftime...............................................................................4-1
Tied at halftime......................................................................................1-1
Trailing at halftime...............................................................................0-1
Against conference opponents........................................................0-1
Against non-conference opponents...............................................5-2
Against ranked opponents.................................................................0-3
Scoring five or more goals....................................................................5-3
Scoring 10 or more goals......................................................................5-0
Scoring 15 or more goals......................................................................2-0
Scoring first.............................................................................................4-0
Opponent scores first..........................................................................1-3
Winning draw control battle.............................................................3-1
Losing draw control battle.................................................................2-2
Recording more shots..........................................................................4-0
Recording fewer shots.........................................................................1-3