SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (5/6/11) – The No. 1 University of Colorado women’s lacrosse team was defeated 10-9 by the No. 12 Cal Poly Mustangs in triple overtime on Friday in a consolation bracket game of the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates National Championships at the Scottsdale Sports Complex.
Down 8-5, Colorado scored three unanswered goals late in the second half to tie the contest and force the game into overtime. After a scoreless first five minute OT period, CU sophomore attacker Sara Tanabe picked up a rebound in front of the Mustangs net and scored the go-ahead goal with 1:41 left in the second overtime. Amanda Nespor responded for Cal Poly as she tied the game at nine with 34 seconds left in the stanza.
In the third overtime period, the Buffs dominated play, like they had the previous two overtimes, but none of Colorado’s shots could find the back of the net. However, CU had their chances in the sudden death period as senior midfielder Stuart Anderson missed on a penalty shot and Tanabe scored, but the goal was disallowed. With 1:04 left in the period, Ashley Royer ended the game in favor of Cal Poly with a shot from the right side.
The loss is Colorado’s second in a row, dropping their overall record to 16-3. The Buffaloes will play No. 2 Florida on Saturday in the seventh place game in a matchup many thought would be featured as the championship game.
Sophomore attacker Avery Toothman led Colorado in scoring with three goals while junior defender Audra Horton and Tanabe finished with two goals in the game. Sophomore attacker Alexa Jellison and sophomore midfielder Andie Solomon also scored.
The first half featured back-and-forth play as each time the Mustangs scored, the Buffs answered back with a goal of their own. At halftime, the score was 2-2 with Horton and Jellison scoring for CU in the stanza.
In the second half, Cal Poly gained the edge with an early goal, but Colorado would once again respond, this time with three straight goals from Tanabe, Toothman and Horton, to give the Buffs their first lead and make it a 5-3 contest. The Mustangs then went on their own run as they scored five straight goals to make it 8-5 with nearly 10 minutes to play.
With time running out in regulation, Toothman led the Buffs’ comeback with back-to-back goals while Solomon scored on a penalty shot late to tie the game at eight. CU nearly won the game in regulation as Anderson fired a good shot at the final horn, but the shot was denied by the Cal Poly goaltender.
The Buffs will play the Gators on Saturday in the seventh place game at 11:30 a.m. MDT. Florida lost to No. 3 UC Davis 12-10 in their consolation game on Friday. CU is 1-1 against Florida this season. The Buffs defeated the Gators 7-6 on Feb. 18 but lost 9-6 on Mar. 26 in what was Colorado’s only loss of the regular season.
For live updates of the Buffs at nationals, follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/CUWomensLax. A live blog will also be available from Lacrosse Magazine at http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_women/club/2010-11/news/050411_live_blog_wcla_lacrosse_national_championship.
CU Women’s Lacrosse website: http://coloradowomenslacrosse.weebly.com/
