COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2023 Colorado State University Pueblo women's lacrosse season ended here Friday as the ThunderWolves took 32 shots and scored 13 goals but fell to University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest at Mountain Lion Stadium.
 
With the loss, the Pack close the season with a 1-13 overall record and went 0-10 in RMAC play, while UCCS improved to 5-10 overall and 4-5 in the league.
 
In Friday's season finale, the Pack were outshot, 35-32 and that marked the fourth time in 14 games this season that the Pack had taken 30 or more shots in the game. The Pack also held a 28-26 edge in ground balls and the 28 ground balls were a season high and were a perfect 14-for-14 on clears.
 
Senior midfielder Caira Lessick (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City) paced the Pack with a season-high tying five goals, while senior midfielder Sedona Sargent (Bellingham, Wash./Sehome) added a career-high tying four goals and added an assist against the Mountain Lions.
 
The Pack scored the first goal of the game on an assisted goal by Sargent just one minute into the contest, before UCCS scored three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead just six-plus minutes into the game.
 
Lessick scored her first goal of the game off an assist from junior midfielder Baylee Mee (Reno, Nev./Galena) to pull within 3-2 with 5:54 left in the period and then added her second goal about 38 seconds later to tie the game at 3-all.
 
The Mountain Lions, though, would close the first period by scoring four consecutive goals to take a 7-3 lead after the opening 15 minutes of action.
 
Freshman midfielder Elise Magee (Port Moody, British Columbia/Dr. Charles Best Secondary) opened the second period with an unassisted goal to pull the Pack within 7-4 just 46 seconds into the period.
 
UCCS would come back and score four straight goals to push its lead to 11-4 just four-plus minutes into the period. Sargent would score her third goal of the game with 8:43 left in the period to pull the Pack within 11-5. The Mountain Lions would add two more goals to push its lead to 13-5 with 6:02 left in the period.
 
The Pack would respond by two of the final three goals of the second period to pull within 14-7 at the half. The Pack goals came by Sargent at the 5:34 mark and by Lessick off an assist by Sargent with 4:19 remaining.
 
Mee opened the third period on a goal off an assist by sophomore attacker Annabelle Hollandbeck (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) to pull with 14-8 just a little over two minutes into the period.
 
UCCS would respond by scoring three straight goals to push in front 17-8, before goals by junior midfielder Lily Hemingway (Shreveport, La./Hendrix) and Lessick to cut the Mountain Lions' lead to 17-10 with 2:21 left in the period. Hemingway's goal was assisted by Magee.
 
Both teams scored a goal in the final minute of the third period with the Pack's goal coming from Lessick with 46 seconds left to give UCCS an 18-11 lead heading into the final period.
 
UCCS would score five of the final seven goals in the fourth period to set the final margin. In the final period, the Pack's two goals came from sophomore attacker Parker Delp (Kent Island, Md./Kent Island) and Lessick. Lessick's goal came with 10 seconds left in the game.
 
Sargent (8) and Lessick (7) combined for 15 shots in the game, while Lessick also had three ground balls and a career-high 11 draw controls, which are tied for third-most in a game in school history.
 
The Pack caused eight turnovers with Lessick leading the way with three, while Magee and freshman midfielder Katie Broom (Houston, Texas/Spring) each having two.
 
CSU Pueblo finished with 22 draw controls, which is tied for fourth-most in a game in school history.
 
Julia Patrick paced UCCS with eight goals and added two assists, while Brielle Fannin had five goals and Erica Rivera added three goals and three assists in the win.
 
The Pack committed 18 turnovers and UCCS had 15 turnovers.
 
Sophomore Naomi Price-Burton (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) played all 60 minutes in goal and made six saves and picked up one ground ball, while allowing 23 goals.
 
Madison McGriff played all 60 minutes in goal as she had 14 saves, allowed 13 goals and collected four ground balls in the victory.