Buffs Finish Regular Season Against Denver
BOULDER — Just one regular-season contest remains for the University of Colorado lacrosse team in 2021 and it has the Buffs pinned up against in-state rival Denver on Thursday, April 29, at 7 p.m. MT at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
The game will be televised live on Altitude TV. It is the second time the two have met this season. CU won the first contest (14-7) in Boulder on Feb. 28, which is the only loss for the 12-1 Pioneers who won the BIG EAST regular-season title with a 10-0 record.
Colorado (7-5, 4-3 Pac-12) has won the last four games heading into this Thursday although the Buffs have not played since April 11. The Buffs were scheduled to play Oregon on April 23 but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Ducks' program.
Charlie Rudy leads the team with 44 goals this season, which is second in the Pac-12 and is 18th in the NCAA. Sadie Grozier is second on the team, seventh on the conference, with 30 goals and Zoe Lawless has 25 goals for third on the team. Grozier and Rudy are both closing in on 100 career goals. Grozier has 98 entering Thursday's game, while Rudy has 91.
CU has been improving in the draw circle. Kate Burnside leads the way with 47, while Eliza Cahill is second with 24. Liz Phillips is third with 23 and Bailey Hawkins has been coming on strong with 16. In net, Lisella has played all 723:21 minutes for the Buffs. She has recorded a 10.70 goals-against average to lead the Pac-12 and her 48.8 save percentage is also first in the conference as well as 14th in the NCAA. Lisella has made a league-leading 123 stops and her 10.25 saves per game not only ranks first in the Pac-12 but is 13th in the nation.
ABOUT DENVER: The Pioneers are ranked 15th in the IWLCA Poll entering this week. They were undefeated in conference play to win the regular-season title.
Bea Behrins leads DU with 41 goals this season and has 14 assists for a team-best 55 points. Second on the team in scoring is Eliza Radochonski (33 goals). The Pioneers are ninth in the NCAA with 7.23 assists per game and are led by Hannah Liddy. She has recorded 33 this season and ranks ninth in the nation (2.75 per game).
Abby Jenkins and Molly Little have been a solid pair on draw controls for the Pioneers. Jenkins has the team-high mark with 47, while Little has 44. Sam Thacker ranks third for DU in draw controls with 29 but leads the way in caused turnovers with 26.
Amelia Cole has started 12 games for DU and has the nation's seventh-best goals-against average (8.14) and a 47.8 save percentage. The last time CU and DU played, Victoria Macres was in net and allowed 14 goals while making five saves.
THE SERIES: DU owns a 4-3 lead in the all-time series against CU, but the Buffs took the last meeting when the two met on February 28, 2021. Colorado upended the then-No. 14 Pioneers 14-7 to win its home opener at Kittredge Field.
UP NEXT: The Buffs start postseason play in Stanford, Calif., at the Pac-12 Tournament, May 5-8.