Buffs Wrap Up Road Trip At St. Mary's And California

BOULDER - The University of Colorado lacrosse team finishes a four-game road trip, traveling to the west coast for a second straight weekend with contests at St. Mary's and California.

CU opens the weekend facing the St. Mary's Gaels (0-12, 0-6 MPSF) on Friday, April 17 at 5 p.m. MT. The Buffaloes are 1-0 in their only meeting against the Gaels, who are led by senior Jaclyn Biggers and sophomore Megan Zummo. The St. Mary's duo has combined for 33 goals this season, nearly half of the team's tallies.

The Buffs play their final road game of the regular season on Sunday, April 19 against California at 2 p.m. MT. This will mark CU's first time traveling to Berkley, Calif. and second overall match-up with the Bears. Colorado is looking for its first win over Cal (2-11, 1-5 MPSF) after falling in a close meeting last season, 7-6 at Kittredge Field. The Bears face Denver on Friday before CU comes to town.

A livestream for Friday's game is available by visiting http://buffs.me/1CR2mlK. The Buffs' contest on Sunday will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Christian Miles has the call alongside Leah Secondo. Live stats for both matches can be found on CUBuffs.com.

QUICKLY: The University of Colorado lacrosse team (7-5, 2-3 MPSF) plays in its final two road games of the season with a trip back to the west coast for a second straight weekend. CU faces St. Mary's on Friday, April 17 and squares off against California on Sunday, April 19. The Buffs are 3-3 away from Boulder this year.

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 for Friday's game is available here: http://buffs.me/1CR2mlK. The Buffs' contest on Sunday will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Christian Miles has the call alongside Leah Secondo. Live stats for both matches can be found on CUBuffs.com.

COLORADO VS. ST. MARY'S: The Buffs are 1-0 in their only meeting against the Gaels. Last season, CU defeated St. Mary's 19-5 at home.

SCOUTING THE GAELS: St. Mary's heads into the contest winless on the season (0-12, 0-6 MPSF) and are led by senior Jaclyn Biggers and sophomore Megan Zummo who have combined for nearly half of the Gaels' goals, 33 of 76 tallies.  Freshman Claire Healy leads the team with 11 assists and she has also scored eight goals in her debut season. Goalkeeper Sydney Pinello has played all but 10 minutes between the posts for the Gaels, averaging 18.60 saves per game.

COLORADO VS. CALIFORNIA: CU is 0-1 in its young history against the Bears. Cal edged the Buffs in a tight game last season, 7-6 at Kittredge Field.

SCOUTING THE BEARS: Cal holds a 2-11 overall record (1-5 MPSF) and will play Denver on Friday before facing off against the Buffs on Sunday. The Bears have two 20+ goal-scorers in Bella Huther and Gaby Christman, each have tallied 28 and 21, respectively. Christman has also been a key contributor on defense, forcing an average of 1.33 turnovers per game, which ranks fourth in the conference. Goalkeepers Kate Gutierrez and Helen Hansen have shared duties in front of the net this season, each logging minutes in every game. They both have nearly identical records, Gutierrez is 1-6 and Hansen holds a 1-5 mark.

LAST TIME OUT: Colorado began a four-game road trip, splitting its first two games. The Buffs fell to USC, 12-9, in their first time playing at the Trojans' McAlister Field. CU closed out the weekend defeating San Diego State, 7-6 to earn its first MPSF road win of the season.

HATRICKS ALL AROUND: Seven Buffaloes have recorded hat tricks this season. Johnna Fusco leads the pack with eight in 12 games. Kiernan has six. Freshman Blair Sisk follows with three, and sophomore Marie Moore has two. Sophomores Cali Castagnola and Katie Macleay along with freshman Taylor Oliver each have one.

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.

FRESHMEN TRI-FECTA: In their first collegiate season playing for the black and gold, Carly Cox, Darby Kiernan and Blair Sisk have made an immediate impact, each contributing in a variety of ways for the Buffs. Kiernan has started all 12 games and is first on the team with 21 ground balls and second with 29 goals. She already has six 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 11 of 12 games and is one of six Buffs in double-digit scoring. Sisk ranks third on the team with 19 goals. She also boasts an impressive .829 SOG percentage, as 34 of her 41 shots have been put on frame. Carly Cox on the attack has also started 11 of 12 games and leads the team with 12 assists while tallying seven goals and recording ten groundballs. She also has recorded at least one point, a goal or an assist in every game this season.

FIERCE FUSCO: Sophomore Johnna Fusco continues to be a main contributor on the attack each week. She leads the Buffaloes in goals (34), points (39), shots (67), shots on goal (53) and is 15-24 on free position shots. She is second in the league in scoring, averaging 2.83 goals per game.

MULTI-GOAL PERFORMANCES: Ten different Buffs have recorded at least one multi-goal game in 2015. Johnna Fusco  has ten, Darby Kiernan has nine, Blair Sisk has seven, Katie Macleay and Marie Moore have four, Cali Castagnola with two each, and Carly Cox, Taylor Oliver, Tori Link and Amanda Salvadore have one multi-goal performance a piece.

SCORING STREAKS: Three 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 (12 straight). Kiernan has scored in 11 consecutive contests and Marie Moore is on a seven-game scoring streak.

NEW COMPETITION: Colorado faced six first-time opponents this year: Marquette, Presbyterian, Northwestern, Michigan, Boston College and UMass Lowell. The Buffs were 4-2 against them, with wins over Marquette. Michigan, Presbyterian and UMass Lowell.

MPSF HONORS: For a second straight week and third time this season, goalkeeper Paige Soenksen earned the Defensive Player of the Week award for her impressive performances at USC and SDSU last weekend. She recorded a combined 27 saves over the two games and held an SDSU attack that entered the game averaging 13 goals per game to only six goals.

NEXT UP: Colorado will return home to finish its regular season schedule at Kittredge Field. The Buffs host Fresno State on Friday, April 24 and Oregon on Sunday, April 26.