Buffs Head To Northern California To Start Second Half Of Conference Play

BOULDER — The University of Colorado lacrosse team will start the second half of Pac-12 Conference play on the road, traveling to Northern California for rematches against Stanford and California.
 
First up, the Buffaloes will head to Stanford, Calif. to take on the Cardinal on Friday, April 1. The game is set for a 6 p.m. PDT/7 p.m. MDT start and will be televised live on Pac-12 Network. Then on Sunday, April 3, CU will take on California in Berkeley, Calif. That game will also be on Pac-12 Network and will start at 1 p.m. PDT/2 p.m. MDT.
 
ABOUT COLORADO: The Buffs are 8-2 overall and finished the first half of league play with a 3-2 record. After upsetting then-No. 24 Stanford on March 25 (17-16) and defeating Cal (16-10) on March 27, Colorado moved back into the national rankings. The Buffs are 24th in the IL Women/IWLCA DI Coaches Poll and are 18th in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll.
 
CU leads the Pac-12 and ranks 11th in the NCAA in free-position percentage (0.521). Charlie Rudy is 10th in the NCAA in free-position goals per game (1.20) and 28th in free-position percentage (0.632), while Sadie Grozier is 28th in the NCAA in free-position goals per game (0.90).
 
Grozier is the team's leading goal scorer with 30 and is averaging 3.00 goals per game; both are second in the Pac-12. Rudy is second with 20. Three Buffs, Chloe Willard, Morgan Pence and Sam McGee are tied for third with 17 goals. Willard is the team leader in assists with 10.
 
Grace Donnelly has started all 10 games this season. In 563:24 minutes, she is averaging 11.93 goals-against. Donnelly has made 87 saves this season for a 0.437 save percentage. Her goals-against average and save percentage are the second-best marks in the Pac-12. In the draw circle, Devon Bayer and Kate Burnside have combined for 100 of CU's 156 draw controls. Bayer leads the team with 58, while Burnside has 42. Bayer is first in the conference with 5.80 draw controls per game and Burnside is fourth (4.20 per game).
 
ABOUT STANFORD: The Cardinal is 6-5 overall and owns a 4-1 record in the Pac-12. Stanford is ranked No. 25 in the latest IL Women/IWLCA DI Poll and is No. 19 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll.
 
Ashley Humphrey leads the team with 69 points, the third-best total in the nation. She has recorded 49 assists (4.45 per game) which leads the NCAA and has 20 goals this season. Ali Baiocco is second with 38 points (27 goals, 11 assists) and Annabel Frist is third in points (36). Frist leads the Cardinal in draw controls with 42.
 
In net, Kara Rahaim has started in all 11 games, playing in 603:31 minutes. She has allowed 120 goals while making 103 saves. Her 12.32 goals-against average ranks third in the Pac-12, while her 0.448 save percentage leads the conference.
 
THE SERIES: Stanford has a 10-7 lead in the all-time series against the Buffs, but CU's win over the Cardinal on March 25 snapped SU's 11-game conference win streak, which dated back to 2019.
 
ABOUT CALIFORNIA: The Bears enter the weekend 0-11 and are 0-5 in conference play, although they are better than their record dictates. They will host Oregon on April 1 before the Buffs come to Berkeley on April 3.
 
Liz Scott is the leading scoring for Cal with 28 goals and two assists. Maya Lawliss is second with 17 goals and five assists for 22 points. Nikki Zaccaro ranks third in points (18) while leading the team with 12 assists. Kennedy Goss and Catherine Roxas have combined for 70 draw controls. Goss has a team-best 39 draw controls and Roxas has 31.
 
Riley Drulinger has seen action in all 11 of Cal's games in net. She has made 86 saves while allowing 166 goals in 559:58 minutes. In the game against CU, Drulinger started the game but Souliotis came in right before the second half and played the rest of the game. Souliotis has allowed 21 goals and has made 13 saves in 100:01 minutes played.  
 
THE SERIES: CU owns a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series against Cal. The Bears won the first two meetings between the two programs but since then, it has been all Buffs. The Buffs defeated Cal 16-10 on March 27, 2022, extending the win streak against the Bears to nine straight.
 
UP NEXT: Colorado has a bye week coming up but will be back in action April 15 and 17. The Buffs will host USC on April 15 and ASU on April 17.