DENVER, Colo. — Despite rallying to tie the game early in the fourth quarter on a man-up goal from freshman midfielder Ainsley Jackson (Anaheim, Calif./Canyon), Colorado State University Pueblo women's lacrosse came up short on the road here Friday evening as the ThunderWolves fell 18-14 to 17th-ranked Regis in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at Regis Turf Fields.

With the setback, the Pack fell to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the RMAC, while Regis improved to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the league.

Friday's four-goal margin was the closest in the teams' previous 21 meetings as Regis is 21-0 against the Pack. Before Friday night's four-goal margin, the previous closest margin was six goals in 2016 as Regis earned an 18-12 victory in Pueblo. The 14 goals scored by the Pack were the most ever scored against Regis in the series.

CSU Pueblo erased a two-goal deficit early in the fourth period as they used back-to-back man-up goals from freshman attacker Chloe Mora (Newport Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran) and Jackson to even the score at 14-14 with 13:07 remaining in the game. However, Regis closed the contest on a 4-0 run, fueled by four straight goals from Lexie Springman, to post the victory. Springman finished the game with a game-high seven goals.

Sophomore attacker Emily Doane (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) paced the ThunderWolves offensively with four goals and an assist, while redshirt freshman midfielder Sienna Rinn (Eagle, Colo./Eagle Valley) and sophomore midfielder Syndey Gunnels (Dallas, Texas/Coppell) each tallied three goals. Freshman attacker Hillary Grehan (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Murdoch MacKay Collegiate) had a goal and two assists, and junior midfielder Sophia Rinn (Eagle, Colo./Eagle Valley) chipped in a goal and an assist in the setback.

The Pack jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest behind a man-up goal by Doane and a goal by Sienna Rinn that was assisted by Gunnels. Regis, though, used two goals by Maggie Schipfer to tie the game at 2-2 with 10:28.

After Sienna Rinn scored her second goal on a man-up opportunity to give the Pack a 3-2 lead, Regis responded with three consecutive goals to close the period, taking a 5-3 advantage after the first 15 minutes. Schipfer, who scored six goals in the game, netted two of Regis' final three goals in that period. 

The Pack battled throughout the second quarter, tying the game twice, including at 7-7 on a free-position goal by Doane, but Regis scored the half by scoring two of the final three goals to take a 9-8 halftime lead. 

In the third quarter, both teams traded goals, with CSU Pueblo staying within striking distance behind two goals from Gunnels and another from Doane. The Rangers maintained a 14-12 edge heading into the final period.
 
After tying the game early in the fourth on those man-up goals by Mora and Jackson, the Pack was unable to slow Regis' attack down the stretch. Springman scored four consecutive goals in a span of just over five minutes to put the game out of reach.

The Pack finished the night with seven assists on 14 goals as Grehan had two, while Regis had six assists on 18 goals.
 
Regis outshot CSU Pueblo 34-23 and held a 21-11 advantage in ground balls, while both teams finished even with 17 draw controls.

Junior midfielder Reese Wasmund (Portland, Ore./West Linn), Gunnels, and junior goalie Breonna Mason (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) each had two ground balls, while Sienna Rinn and Jackson tallied six and five draw controls, respectively. 

Wasmund was also credited with three caused turnovers as the Pack had eight in the game. Regis had 16 caused turnovers, including four from Krista Munsinger.

The Pack was 4-for-9 on free position shots, while Regis was 6-for-8. In addition, Regis was 13-for-17 on clears, and the Pack was 9-for-14 on clears. 

Mason (2-2) played all 60 minutes in goal and allowed 18 goals and made 10 saves in the game. 

In addition to Springman's seven goals and one assist, Schipfer added six goals and an assist. Lauren Sheets and Rome Villani each had two goals. Brigit Goetsch (5-3) played all 60 minutes in goal and allowed 14 goals and had six saves, along with two ground balls. 

The Pack will continue its RMAC road trip on Sunday, March 22, as they travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., for a noon game at UCCS (4-4 overall, 2-1 RMAC). UCCS picked up a 22-7 home win on Friday over Fort Lewis.