PUEBLO, Colo. (March 11, 2015)- In the program's first ever home game, the Colorado State University-Pueblo women's lacrosse team lost 17-6 against Wittenberg University (OH).
With the loss, the ThunderWolves move to 0-3, while the Tigers jump to 2-1 on the young season.
CSU-Pueblo, which scored a season-high six goals, was led by freshman Alix Zierden (M, Elk River, Minn.), as she had netted a hat-trick in the contest with a team-high three goals. Her first goal also happened to be her first of point of her early career. Rachael Welzin (FR., M, Farmington, Minn.) was right behind her with two in the match, extending her season total to five goals. Allye Webb (M, Colorado Springs, Colo.) was the only other Pack player to get on the scoreboard with one tally. It was her third-straight match accumulating one goal.
For Wittenberg, two players were tied with a game-high four goals, as both Logan Warye and Olivia Lash had four apiece. Becca Joesph (3), Beth Hubbard (3), Megan Loofbourrow (2), and Victoria Zysik (1) were the other Tigers who scored.
The Pack were outdueled by the Tigers in shots (30-15) and ground balls (18-16).
Wittenberg tackled the ThunderWolves right out of the gates, opening on a 9-0 run the first 12:14 of the frame, before Zierden broke the run three minutes later. The final nine minutes the Tigers added three more points to lead 12-1 at intermission.
CSU-Pueblo hit early in the second-half, as Zierden scored her second tally in the first 46 seconds out of the break to cut the deficit to 12-2. Two and a half minutes later the visitors continued to put the pressure on the Pack as Lash scored to extend the lead back to 11.
The Pack continued claw their way in the contest and cut the deficit to as low as nine, after back-to-back goals from Webb and Welzin to make it 13-4 with 23:15 remaining in the contest. Wittenberg answered back with three-straight goals to make it 16-4, their largest lead of the game, with 14:40 remaining.
Welzin and Ziered added two more goals to cut the deficit back to 10, but it proved to be too much for the ThunderWolves as the Tigers went on to win, 17-6. The Pack were outscored in the first-half 12-1, but were even with the Tigers the final frame matching them 5-5 and scored on 5-0f-8 of their shots.
CSU-Pueblo is back in action Saturday at home against Fort Lewis College at 1 p.m.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics
