PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo women's lacrosse team opens its 2026 campaign this week with three non-conference games in South Carolina.
 
The ThunderWolves will open the 2026 season with a 2 p.m. MT game on Thursday, Feb. 10 in Hartsville, S.C., against Coker University, before traveling to Central, S.C., for a 9 a.m. MT game on Saturday, Feb. 21, against Southern Wesleyan University, and will conclude the trip on Monday, Feb. 23, with a 11 a.m. MT game in Spartanburg, S.C., against Converse University.
 
CSU Pueblo, which former player Taylor Ward coaches, is entering its 12th season of playing intercollegiate women's lacrosse in 2026.
 
The Pack, who went 2-12 overall and 2-8 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last season, welcomes back nine starters from last season's team, including sophomore midfielder Moira Turpen (Newberg, Ore./Newberg), who was named to the 2026 Preseason Women's Lacrosse All-RMAC Team.

In addition to Turpen, the other starters returning are senior attacker Audrey Allendorf (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls), junior attacker Clara Drinkwater (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown), junior defender Dylan Retzloff (Bend, Ore./Mountain View), junior midfielder Sophia Rinn (Eagle, Colo./Mountain View), junior midfielder Reese Wasmund (Portland, Ore./West Linn), sophomore defender Kenzie Carpio (Colorado Springs, Colo./Rampart), sophomore attacker Emily Doane (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro), and sophomore midfielder Sydney Gunnels (Dallas, Texas/Coppell).
 
In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, the Pack was tabbed to finish fifth, earning nine points. The poll was voted on by the league's head coaches, who couldn't vote for their own teams.
 
As a player for the Pack from 2016-19, Ward totaled 142 points and scored 108 goals, and is entering her fourth season directing the Pack program. The Pack has posted a 5-37 record over the past three seasons.
 
Ward recently sat down with the CSU Pueblo Athletics Communications Department to preview the upcoming 2026 women's lacrosse season.
 
Listed below is the question-and-answer session with Coach Ward about the 2026 Pack women's lacrosse team.
 
Q: Coming into this season, you return a lot of your offense from last season. Coach, can you share your thoughts on this season and how preseason practices have gone?
A: "We are still super young. I think we have like five upperclassmen. So we're mostly freshmen and sophomores, but we have a lot of talent. We have a lot of chemistry. We have great attitudes, and the kids are excited to be here. Our preseason practices have been super fun. Everyone's excited for this trip to South Carolina to open the season, so I, too, am excited to see how this season goes."
 
Q: You open the season this week with three games in South Carolina against Coker, Southern Wesleyan, and Converse. Coach, what are some of the keys to being successful on this trip, and also keys for the team this season?
A: "All of the teams we're going to play have played some games already this season, but obviously, it's our first game. We're hoping that what we've been doing at practice is preparing us for the three games this week, but the key is just to work as a team and have high energy. We have some substitutes this year, so having the ability to sub some girls in and out is going to be awesome this season. I'm super excited, and I think our team is ready to play later this week."
 
Q: You return a lot of your key performers on offense (the Pack returns its top six goal scorers) from last season's team, so let's talk about your offense coming into this season?
A: "A key player we're returning on offense is sophomore attacker Emily Doane (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro). She plays low left attack and just has a lacrosse IQ as I've never seen. She sees passes; she knows when to drive, and she knows how to work with most of her team. We also have some good freshmen coming in that can play that other X side, which is kind of a mystery last year who to put out there. So that's super nice. We are also returning junior midfielder Reese Wasmund (Portland, Ore./West Linn) and sophomore midfielder Moira Turpen (Newberg, Ore./Newberg). So, I'm excited to see how our attack works together this year."
 
Q: One of the biggest keys to success in lacrosse is playing defense. Coach, can you talk about your defense and how it's looking for this coming season?
A: "So my goal since I came in was to switch to a high-pressure zone defense. We finally have the girls this year to implement the high-pressure zone defense scheme. So, our defense will be different this season, and I'm excited about the change in defense. I think it is going to make a big difference. We did lose our starting goalie, and we have a freshman in the cage. She's super excited, and she's been working really hard, and I think she's ready for the challenge."

Q: Coach, our starting goalie from the past two seasons, Breonna Mason, decided not to return for her junior season in 2026 after recording a single-season school record 194 saves last year. Can you talk about the goalie position, what her loss means, and who will play primarily in goal this coming season?
A: "Breonna's loss leaves a hole on the team. Brie had a big spot in my heart, and I think a big spot with everyone on the team. She's still going to school here, but is just focusing on academics now. We have a freshman, Hannah Duffee (Bayport, Minn./St. Croix Preparatory Academy), as our primary goalie this year. She's from Minnesota. She came from a really good club team. She's been working really well with our defense. She's doing extra sessions with our goalie coach. She's really trying to get ready for the season."

Q: With Mason's departure, who will be the backup goalie this season for your team?
A: "In terms of a backup goalie. We had to search through the team and had a little tryout on the team, and junior Clara Drinkwater (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) took first place in that tryout, so Clara is our backup goalie this season."

Q: Can you talk about some of your key defensive players for this season?
A: "So it's actually crazy. Audrey Allendorf (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) is a senior this year, but when she came in as a freshman, she was an attacker, a low attacker, as we just saw her fit better as a low defender, and she's crushing it. It's cool to see her in that senior role on defense as a captain, as a defensive captain. She's really stepped up. We also have junior Dylan Retzloff (Bend, Ore./Mountain View). The improvement she's had since her freshman year is crazy. She's now one of our key defenders. She's that backer in those zones, and that's a really, really important role. Those two are doing great in our preseason practices."

Q: Another big key in lacrosse is the draw control. Whoever wins the draw usually scores 90 percent of the time. Most of our draws last season were taken by Doane, along with Wasmund. Those two players combined to record 75 of the Pack's 170 draws a season ago. How is the draw looking for this coming season?
A: "Reese (Wasmund) will be our main draw taker this season. We brought in a freshman, midfielder Ainsley Jackson (Anaheim, Calif./Canyon). She is a lefty and does a great job on the draw, as well. In addition, Emily (Doane) will also take some draws, as well this season."

Q: Coach, you are entering your fourth season coaching at your alma mater. Can you tell me what some of your goals are for this year's team?
A: "I think my goal since taking over was to build a better culture on the team. And, honestly, this team is great. I love every single girl on the team. They all get along, and you can see it on the field. I think we're heading in the right direction. We've got 13 kids coming in next year to add to this year's 11 freshmen. Another goal this year is being able to have a bench this season, which we've hopefully achieved with all the new players we brought in during the offseason."

Q: Coach, you mentioned that you have a lot of young kids again this season. Who are some of your top newcomers that fans should be looking out for this season?
A: "We are still not going to have a huge bench, but we've got 21 kids on the team and also have some players battling injuries. So we're looking at about 19 players for this season. Some key freshmen are (Ainsley) Jackson, our goalie, Hannah (Duffee), defender Kayla Wells (Perry, Utah/Box Elder), and Chloe Mora (Newport Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran) on attack. So I see a lot of these freshmen contributing right away."

Q: Coach, you talked about how young your team is, but you've got some experienced sophomores on the team that got to a play a lot of meaningful minutes last year. Can you about those returning sophomores and the leadership role that they're going to take on this year?
A: "They are still young as sophomores, but they're going to have to grow up a little bit this year. Because we don't have a lot upperclassman that other teams have, those sophomores have had to take on that leadership role. To be honest, I even have some freshmen who have taken on a leadership role this season. A major one is Kayla (Wells) on defense. Such a great kid. Sydney Gunnels is a stud on attack, a stud on the draw, and honestly, a stud on defense. I think they've all kind of had to step up and be the upperclassmen even as sophomores."

Q: One player that returns this season after sitting out the 2025 campaign due to injury is redshirt freshman midfielder Sienna Rinn (Eagle, Colo./Eagle Valley). Can you talk about what she brings to the table this season after not playing last season due to injury?
A: "It is really exciting to get Sienna and her sister, junior midfielder Sophia Rinn (Eagle, Colo./Eagle Valley), together on the field this season. You can tell they're sisters out there because they just kind of connect. I know they played together in high school, and they were excited to play together last year, but, Sienna got injured. So they're both excited for Sienna to be back this year. Sienna has a wicked shot. She's fast, she's a lefty. She is someone who really hurt to not have last season, but we're excited to see her on the field, too."

Q: Once again, it looks like, judging from the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, that Regis and Colorado Mesa appear to be the teams to beat this season. Coach, can you talk about what you expect out of the RMAC this season? The Pack was tabbed to finish fifth in the preseason poll.
A: "Mesa and Regis actually tied for first, which is kind of exciting to see, a little switch up. I foresee a lot of it kind of maintaining the same structure it's been in the past couple of years. There are several new coaches in the league as UCCS, Westminster and Fort Lewis all have new coaches, so it will be interesting to see how those teams perform throughout the season."

Q: Coach, you open the season with three games in South Carolina this weekend, before coming home and playing several non-conference contests before opening RMAC play. Talk about your schedule and what you expect this coming season for your team?
A: "It's so hard in the RMAC because there are only six teams, so you have to find a lot of out-of-conference games. Sometimes is teams travel out here to Colorado, as we have with Rockhurst, McKendree, and Missouri Western. You have to kind of be on their timeline. So when they're out here, you make it work and play them. I tried really hard to find an out-of-conference game somewhere warm because last year, we were supposed to go to Missouri. We ended up making the trip, but had to cut a game out and move games around due to the weather. There was a blizzard. But this year, we're excited to go somewhere sunny. And then we have some schools from Missouri coming here this year. We're going to be playing Rockhurst, McKendree, and Missouri Western, and then the RMAC games are kind of spread out. We have a stint in there of six home games in a row, including several games on back-to-back days."

Q: You have one real senior this season on the team in Allendorf, but you also have a few juniors, mostly sophomores and freshmen, on your roster this season. What do those juniors and seniors bring in terms of leadership to this younger group of players, as your team is still rather young?
A: "So we have Sophia (Rinn) returning for her fifth year of school. She's a good leader for us out there. We have Audrey (Allendorf), it's her senior year. And then we have Reese (Wasmund), who's going to be graduating early, so she's technically a senior this year and is also a captain this year. We also have Dylan back for her third season. I think we have a good line of leaders, and as I said, those sophomores have stepped up as leaders, and so too have some of the freshmen."

Q: Let's kind of go back and talk about this upcoming season, and what are some keys to the season for your team?
A: "One of the keys is creating more chemistry on attack. I really have a lot more options this year. I can switch things up. We have a lot of lefties this season. Another key newcomer I didn't mention earlier is freshman attacker/midfielder Hillary Grehan (Winnipeg, Manitoba) from Canada. Such a great kid. She shows up, practices before practice, and stays after and practices. So that's contagious. A lot of girls are starting to practice a lot more, shoot on their own and I see it translating on the field."

Q: Coach, let's talk about your coaching staff this season. You have both Claire Kallio and Samantha LaBella returning to the staff this season, but you added former Pack player Emily Eller (Eller played for the Pack from 2018-21) as an assistant coach this year. Talk about your coaching staff and what they bring to the table?
A: "My assistants are awesome. It's nice because I have someone who was a goalie, someone who was a defender, and someone who was a stud attacker. So I get to pick their brains and help the girls the best I can. I think adding Emily (Eller) was an excellent addition. She has a great IQ on attack and can fix those little things that they may need help with, and she's just good energy to have around."

Q: Coach, when looking at the roster, yours is very diverse with players from all over, but mostly from the West Coast. I know lacrosse is typically an East Coast sport, but you have players from California, you have kids from the Pacific Northwest. What are your tactics when it comes to recruiting players to CSU Pueblo?
A: "Well, we added the RISE program. So, getting those California kids was a lot easier. I have a lot of California kids coming in next year, too, because of that, and Utah and all those surrounding states. I have connections in Oregon. I have connections in California, and I have connections mostly on the West Coast because that's where I'm from. So, getting kids from there is a lot easier. Also, they like to stay close to home as we're one of the closest schools on the West Coast. I also look for gritty players, and that's what I bring in."

Q: It seems that there are new rule changes every year in the sport of women's lacrosse. Are there any new rule changes that fans might notice when they come to a game? What are some of the new rule changes for the 2026 season in women's lacrosse?
A: "All I can say is buckle up, fans. There are a lot of rule changes. They added a rule where you only have thirty seconds after the goal is scored to get back and set up the draw, or you get a green card, and you have to play man-down. The green cards, which they added last year, are now all over the field. So, there's going to be a lot of man-up, man-down possessions this season. There are non-releasable yellow cards now for some fouls. Free position shots are only on two of the hashes now. Not all the way around the eight, there's just so many changes, so just shoot me a text if you have a question."

Q: The sport of lacrosse has grown over the years, even into the high school ranks in Colorado and the surrounding states. How is the lacrosse world in the state of Colorado at this time?
A: "It's still really big up North in Colorado. I'm from Colorado Springs. It's never been super huge in that area. I think a lot of kids go up North to play, so the goal is to start to grow the sport in the Southern area of Colorado. Pueblo West has one team for all of Pueblo, but I would love to see it grow out here. So, if you're watching this, you should try lacrosse."

Q: What do you know about your three opponents you will be playing this weekend in South Carolina? Coker is 1-2, while Southern Wesleyan is 0-2, and Converse is 1-2 on the season.
A: "All three teams have already played games this season, so that gives them a little bit of an advantage as we have yet to play this season. I've only been able to watch a little bit of film on them. I know we are going to be watching film as a team together and telling the girls what we think they need to do to break their defense and defend their attack. But honestly, we'll have to see them up close. Film can only say so much about an opponent."