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Head coach Ann Elliott Whidden and the Colorado women’s lacrosse team have accomplished plenty since the program began NCAA play in 2014.The Buffaloes have compiled a .637 winning percentage in that time, with CU earning three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths between 2017 and 2019.
In 2018, the Buffs claimed the first regular season title in what at the time was the Pac-12’s new women’s lacrosse league.Related ArticlesWomen’s lacrosse: CU Buffs rout Cincinnati in regular-season finaleWomen’s lacrosse preview: CU Buffs at Cincinnati BearcatsWomen’s lacrosse: CU Buffs make quick work of UC Davis in regular season home finaleWomen’s lacrosse: Seniors look to finish strong for CU BuffsWomen’s lacrosse: No. 24 Denver edges CU BuffsOne thing that has remained frustratingly elusive, however, is a conference tournament championship.
That drought hasn’t happened without plenty of opportunities to flip that script, and the Buffaloes will have yet another chance to claim a tournament championship as they host the first Big 12 Conference women’s lacrosse tournament at Prentup Field.The second-seeded Buffs take on third-seeded Arizona State in the second semifinal on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Top-seeded Florida and fourth-seeded UC Davis open the tournament at 4 p.m.Not counting the 2020 season, which was canceled after just a few weeks due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buffs have reached the conference title game in six of the past seven full seasons but have yet to claim a championship.
That run includes the 2018 season, when CU was the top seed for a Pac-12 tournament played in Boulder but lost against Stanford in the championship match.“I said the other day, no one is better at coming in second than Colorado is,” Elliott Whidden said. “We’ve obviously been there.
We’ve had to fight our way to get there, and I’m proud of all the moments where this team has kind of had things stacked against them, and we’ve been able to work our way to the championship game.“We know how big of a game it is on Thursday, so we’re really focused on that. But obviously on the overall, winning a conference championship is something we’ve never done in the tournament.
I think it would be huge for these players and the amount of work that they’ve put in this year and the amount of things we’ve had to deal with along the way.”It has been a roller-coaster season for the Buffs, who were ranked No. 21 in the preseason but started the year 1-4 in an early run comprised entirely of ranked foes.
CU regained some momentum in Big 12 play, but along the way the Buffs lost fifth-year senior Morgan Pence, who is tied for eighth in team history with 37 career assists, to a season-ending injury. A loss at home against state rival Denver two weeks ago all but ended CU’s chances at an at-large berth for the NCAA Tournament. However, the Buffs rebounded with a pair of wins to secure the No.
2 seed in the Big 12 tournament.“I feel like the beginning of the season, we definitely hit a little rough patch,” CU junior Maddie Shoup said. “But that’s kind of where we want to be — playing the top, top talent and the best teams.
We did suffer a couple tough losses, but after every loss each practice we went in with an open mind and attacked everything we needed to fix.”The Buffs defeated ASU 14-13 in Tempe in a game that ultimately gave CU the second seed (although the tournament matchup would have remained the same in a four-team field). CU’s goals-against average of 10.
19 ranks second in the Big 12, but the Buffs will be challenged to slow an ASU attack averaging 15.0 goals per game.ASU’s Teagan Ng is tied for seventh in the nation with 66 goals, while teammate Jordyn Behar ranks fourth nationally with 56 assists.
Ng scored five goals in the previous matchup against the Buffs, while Behar finished with two goals and three assists.“I’m 0-2 in championship games since being here, and I never won one in high school either,” said CU junior Lily Assini, a former prep standout at Cherry Creek. “Definitely kind of a tough start to the season, but nothing we haven’t encountered in the past.
Still having that belief in ourselves and what we’re capable of I think has definitely boosted our confidence heading into Big 12.”(3) Arizona State Sun Devils at (2) CU Buffs women’s lacrosseGAME TIME: Thursday, 7 p.m.
, Prentup Field.TV: ESPN+RECORDS: Arizona State 10-7, 3-2 Big 12 Conference; Colorado 8-7, 4-1.KEY PLAYERS: Arizona State — A Jordyn Behar, Jr.
(32 goals, 56 assists); A Teagan Ng, Jr. (66 goals, nine assists); A Lydia Oldknow, Jr. (51 goals, 16 assists); A Anna Thornton, Sr.
(20 goals, nine assists); M Bella Ingrao, Sr. (14 goals, 10 assists); A Addie Shevitz, R-Fr. (15 goals, five assists); G Katie Vahle, Sr.
(.458 save percentage, 13.40 goals-against average).
Colorado — A Madeline Pisani, Gr. (38 goals, 23 assists); M Maddie Shoup, Jr. (28 goals, 13 assists); M Lily Assini, Jr.
(20 goals, 16 assists); A Teagan Ryan, So. (24 goals, four assists); A Kendal Havill, Gr. (21 goals, two assists); A Jaimey Hill, So.
(15 goals, eight assists); G Elena Oh, Fr. (.413 save percentage, 9.
47 goals-against average).NOTES: Pisani on Wednesday was named the Big 12’s Attack Player of the Year while CU’s Jess Peluso was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. That duo was joined on the All-Big 12 first team by Shoup and Assini.
Oh and Kendall Havill, a graduate transfer from Colorado College, were named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team. ..
. CU defeated the Sun Devils 14-13 on the road April 6, but the Buffs had a 13-8 lead six minutes into the second half before surviving an ASU comeback attempt. .
.. The winners from the two semifinal games will meet for the title Saturday (1 p.
m., ESPN+). .
.. CU is No.
25 in the RPI. ASU is No. 31.
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Pisani’s career-high 23 assists ranks fifth among CU’s all-time season leaders. ..
. The Buffs are 9-3 all-time against ASU, with wins in the past four matchups. .
.. This is the first postseason matchup between CU and the Sun Devils.
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ASU defender Sierra Ryan, a freshman from Frederick who played at Fairview, has appeared in 14 games for the Sun Devils..
