PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's lacrosse begins its 10th season of intercollegiate competition here Thursday, Feb. 29 as the ThunderWolves host Findlay in a 4 p.m. game at Art and Lorraine Gonzales Stadium.
 
The Pack, who are coached by former player Taylor Ward, finished its ninth season of play in 2023 with a 1-13 overall record and an 0-10 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Ward is entering her second season as the Pack's coach after serving as the interim head coach in 2023.
 
In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, the Pack were tabbed to finish fifth out of six teams as they earned eight points from the league's head coaches.
 
Ward's second Pack team welcomes back nine starters from last year's team, including five of its top six goal scorers from a season ago. Those top returning goal scorers are graduate student midfielder Caira Lessick (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City), graduate student attacker Sedona Sargent (Bellingham, Wash./Sehome), sophomore attacker/midfielder Elise Magee (Port Moody, British Columbia/Dr. Charles Best Secondary), senior midfielder Baylee Mee (Reno, Nev./Galena) and junior attacker Parker Delp (Kent Island, Md./Kent Island).
 
Those five players combined for 98 goals, 30 assists and 138 points last season. The Pack scored a total of 133 goals in 14 games last season and those five players combined for 74 percent of the team's offensive production.
 
Lessick and Sargent are returning All-RMAC selections from last season as Lessick was a Second-Team All-RMAC selection and Sargent was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection.
 
One of the Pack's biggest strengths last season came on the draw control as they recorded 209 as Lessick led the league in draw controls last season with 80 and averaged 5.71 draw controls per game. She enters the 2023 season second in school history in career draw controls with 158 and is fifth in career points (94) and tied for fifth in career goals (71).
 
Much like last season, Ward's second team will also be short on depth as the team roster lists 19 players, but several players are expected to miss the season due to injury, according to Ward.
 
Along with leading the Pack and the RMAC in draw controls with 80, Lessick led the team in goals (24) and was third in points with 29 and collected 32 ground balls and caused 25 turnovers.
 
Sargent and Magee were tied for third on the team in goals with 21 as Sargent finished with nine assists for 30 points and led the team in shots with 70, while Magee had seven assists for 28 points and collected 23 ground balls.

Mee and Delp were tied for fifth on the team in goals scored with 16 as Mee added eight assists for 24 points and had 41 draw controls and led the team in ground balls with 33, while Delp had 17 points, 16 ground balls and took 37 shots.
 
The Pack return its starting goalie from last season, junior Naomi Price-Burton (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) and added a freshman goalie, Breonna Mason (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy), during the offseason.
 
In her first-ever season playing in goal, Price-Burton recorded 95 saves and had an 18.14 goals against average.
 
Defensively, the Pack allowed 294 goals in 14 games, which is an average of 18.14 goals per game. The Pack allowed double-digit goals in 13 of 14 games, including a season-high 23 goals against UCCS in both of their meetings. The Pack also caused 133 turnovers and had 226 ground balls.
 
ABOUT FINDLAY
Findlay, who is a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, comes into Thursday's game having already played two games this season as the Oilers are sporting a 1-1 record. The Oilers opened the season with a 25-3 home loss to No. 13 Maryville (Mo.) University and then collected an impressive 13-9 win on Tuesday at UCCS.
 
The Oilers, who were tabbed to finish second in the Preseason G-MAC Coaches' Poll, has a new coach this season as Amy Long as taken over as the Oilers' new coach. Long comes to Findlay after spending the past 11 seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach at Saint Mary's (Ind.) College.

Long's first team returns six starters from last season's team that went 9-10 overall and lost 9-8 in the championship game of the G-MAC Tournament to Walsh University. The top returner this season for Findlay is sophomore attacker Tessa Chuba, who was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year last season after scoring 33 goals and added eight assists in 2023. In addition to Chuba, senior attacker Madeline Shewbridge returns after being a First-Team All-GMAC selection a season ago. Shrewbridge was tied for second on the team in goals with 33 and added a team-best 26 assists for a total of 59 points. Her 1.50 assists per game were fifth in the GMAC.
 
Through two games this season, Chuba lead the way offensively with six goals, while Shewbridge and junior attacker Olivia Alvarado are tied for second in goals with three. On the season, the Oilers have scored 16 goals in two games and have allowed 34.
 
In the win over UCCS, Chuba led the way with six goals and added four ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Shewbridge had three goals and two assists and Alvarado tallied two goals. The Oilers outshot the Mountain Lions, 30-19.
 
Findlay has played two goalies this season with the primary goalie being graduate student Olivia Bakowski. Bakowski has recorded 15 saves, nine ground balls and has allowed 30 goals. She has a 17.14 goals against average. Sophomore Rachel Esselstyn has played one game in goal and has allowed four goals on the season.
 
Thursday's game will be the first-ever match-up between the two schools. Findlay is the second current member of the G-MAC that the Pack has played in women's lacrosse as they picked up a 22-5 win in 2020 against Ashland.
 
UP NEXT FOR PACK
Following Thursday's home game with Findlay, the Pack will remain at home as they host Dominican University of California for a 4 p.m. game on Thursday, March 7, before hitting the road for back-to-back games on March 11-12 at Lake Erie College and Tiffin University.