PUEBLO, Colo. (April 3, 2016) — In their final non-conference game of the season, Colorado State University-Pueblo women's lacrosse could not overcome Colorado Mesa University as the Mavericks escaped with a 12-10 win. The Pack held the nation's second ranked offense to 12 goals, five less than their season average, but could only muster 10 goals in the hard fought battle.
With the loss, the Pack stands at 6-4 on the season with a 1-0 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. The Mavericks moved to 7-3 (2-2 RMAC).
Reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week, Taylor Christensen (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) made a case for the award again. Christensen collected seven ground balls. She controlled five draws and forced four CMU turnovers.
Christensen leads the RMAC with 3.64 ground balls per game. She also ranks third in caused turnovers per game (1.91) and fifth in ground balls (3.45).
Alix Zierden (So., Elk River, Minn.) scored two goals on just three shots. She now has six goals over the weekend.
The Mavericks picked up the games first two tallies. CSU-Pueblo fought back with four consecutive goals as they took a 4-2 lead. Christensen and Zierden scored the Pack's first two goals to tie the game.
Sami LaBella (Fr., Pleasanton, Calif.) gave the Pack the lead with her 17th goal of the season. Co-captain, Rachael Welzin (So., Farmington, Minn.) capped the Pack's four goal run with a free position strike that made it 4-2 in favor of the home team.
Welzin's goal was her third of the season. She also grabbed a ground ball and forced a turnover.
The Pack's four-goal rally lasted over 11 minutes. However, Colorado Mesa bounced back with the final three goals of the first half to take a 5-4 lead into intermission.
In the second half, the Mavericks got the first two goals to claim a 7-4 lead. However, the Pack would fight back and tie it with 20 minutes left in the game.
Two of the Pack's goals during their 3-0 run came courtesy of Allye Webb (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) . Webb now has 26 goals on the season, two shy of her school record set in 2015.
Leah Neumann (So., Naperville, Ill.) launched in the equalizer to tie the game at seven with 20:03 left. Neumann now leads the Pack with 27 goals this season.
CMU reclaimed the lead less than four minutes later. However, the Pack quickly tied it back up. Allison Wurscher (Fr., Tigard, Ore.) rifled in her 18th goal of the season. Wurscher's goal gives her 33 points on the season, breaking Webb's single season record set in 2015.
Following's Wurscher's record-breaking point, the Mavericks unleashed a three-goal run. This run gave Colorado Mesa an 11-8 lead with 6:16 to go.
The Pack would get two more goals from Zierden and Neumann, but it would not be enough. Colorado Mesa's three-goal run propelled them to a 12-10 win.
Ane Marie Horton (Fr., Long Beach, Calif.) made 10 saves on 22 shots. Despite the 10 saves, her record fell to 6-3 on the year.
Neumann finished the game with two goals. She also secured four ground balls and three draw controls.
Both teams were fairly close in every statistical category. The Pack forced 28 CMU turnovers, but gave it away 25 times. CSU-Pueblo also had a +3 advantage in ground balls. The Mavericks controlled three more draws.
The ThunderWolves won't have to wait long to get another shot at the Mavericks. These two teams will have a rematch in Grand Junction, Colo., Saturday, April 9.
– 30 –
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
