PUEBLO, Colo. (April 2, 2016) - With 20 seconds remaining in regulation, Colorado State University-Pueblo women's lacrosse and Westminster College were tied at 13. Chloe Sharko (Fr., Naperville, Ill.) scored with just 20 seconds left on a Sami LaBella (Fr., Pleasanton, Calif.) feed to send the Pack to a 14-13 win in their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener.
As a result of the win, the Pack improved to 6-3 on the season. Westminster fell to 2-5 with a 2-3 record in RMAC games.
The Pack knocked off the Griffins by one goal for the second time this season. CSU-Pueblo won the first game 18-17 with the game winning goal coming with 1:20 left in regulation.
Allison Wurscher (Fr., Tigard, Ore.) led the Pack with five points. Wurscher scored three goals and added two assists. She has 32 points with 17 goals and 15 assists on the season.
Wurscher's 32 points in 2016 matches the Pack's single season points record set by Allye Webb (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) a year ago. The freshman's 15 assists also stands as a school record.
Alix Zierden (So., Elk River, Minn.) netted a team-high four goals. Zierden set a new career-best with her four goals. She's struck for 15 goals in 2016.
Reigning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week, Leah Neumann (So., Naperville, Ill.) collected three more goals. With her hat trick, Neumann now has a team-leading 25 goals on the season.
Co-captain, Rachael Welzin (So., Farmington, Minn.) shut down the Griffins on the defensive side. Welzin caused four turnovers. She also controlled five draws and picked up three balls.
Zierden had the hot hand early. She scored the Pack's first two goals. Her second strike tied the game at two. It also began a six-goal run for the Pack.
CSU-Pueblo's 6-0 run gave the Pack a 7-2 lead. The Pack held the Griffins without a goal for 13:44.Wurscher lit the lamp twice during this run, one her goals came with the Pack a player down. Webb and Neumann also scored during this run.
Taylor Christensen (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) capped the Pack's flurry by firing in a shot with 16:08 left in the first half. Christensen's would be the Pack's last of the half as Westminster rallied with a four-goal run of their own. This rally cut the Pack's to 7-6 at the half.
In the second half, LaBella got the Pack on the board first with her 15th goal of the season. Neumann and Zierden followed with tallies of their own as CSU-Pueblo staked themselves to a 10-6 lead.
After a Westminster goal, Neumann and Wurscher completed their hat tricks. CSU-Pueblo scored five of the first six goals out of the break to take a 12-7 lead.
Westminster chipped awayat the Pack's advantage with a pair of goals. Zierden ended the Griffins run when she zapped in her fourth of the game on a free position shot. CSU-Pueblo held a 13-9 after Zierden's goal.
The Griffins would not go away. They scored the game's next four goals. Westminster tied the game 13 with 1:18 left on the clock.
Penalties compounded for th Pack as they were forced to play with a player down due to yellow cards. A second yellow card on Ellie O'Brien (Fr., San Diego, Calif.) forced the Pack to play down two players for the final 1:18.
With overtime looming and the Pack down two players, momentum appeared to be on the Griffins side. They fired a shot at the cage with 40 seconds left. Ane Marie Horton (Fr., Long Beach, Calif.) made the save.
LaBella picked up the ensuing rebound. She raced down the field before the numbers advantage could catch up to her.
In Westminster territory, the Griffin defenders converged on LaBella. Facing a double team, LaBella zipped a pass to Sharko just outside the crease. Sharko whipped a laser into the back of the net to give the Pack a 14-13 lead.
With 20 seconds left, Neumann controlled the draw and the Pack ran out the clock. Sharko's first goal of the game proved to be the difference as her game winner with CSU-Pueblo down two players gave the Pack their sixth win of the season.
CSU-Pueblo will try to continue its momentum into a non-conference showdown with Colorado Mesa University, Sunday. The Pack's home game against the Mavericks begins at 1 p.m. at Art &Lorraine Gonzales Stadium.
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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
