CU, DU Do Colorado Proud as Buffaloes Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals

BOULDER, Colo. — For the first time in program history, the Colorado women’s lacrosse team is headed to the NCAA quarterfinals.

The Buffaloes defeated in-state rival Denver 11-9 in front of a home crowd Sunday in Boulder, utilizing strong possession and forcing turnovers from the Pioneers.

“It’s awesome and a testament to our mentality and this senior class,” CU coach Ann Elliott Whidden said of the team’s first quarterfinal appearance since the program was started in 2014. “It’s huge. We’re focused on the one game in front of us, but this is huge for this team. Being able to start at Northwestern, we had a little bit of a tough middle of the season. Down the stretch, we’ve regrouped and found the fun again.”

The Buffs will come full circle in the playoffs, having gone on the road to defeat Northwestern in the season-opening game Feb. 9. They’ll head to Evanston next week to potentially move deeper into the playoffs.

“We’ve obviously both played a lot of games since then and there’s been a lot of season,” Whidden said. “It’s a place we’re familiar with and a team we’re a little familiar with. What an exciting opportunity for us. We have a lot of respect for Northwestern but we’re going to focus on ourselves and getting ready for that battle.”

To reach that game, CU had to defeat the Pioneers for the second time this season. On April 15, the Buffs won 9-6 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver, and the offense flowed a little more freely in the friendly confines of Prentup Field.

CU’s Maddie Shoup found the net less than a minute in and the Buffs largely dominated possession for the first five minutes before Jaimey Hill was assessed a green card and Denver went a player up. Roughly 45 seconds into the penalty, Oliva Ripple tied the game on a pass to the cage by Lindsey Wilmot, then Ripple doubled up less than two minutes later to give DU a lead.

A long shot from deep on the left side from Caroline Keil kept the momentum with the Pioneers and allowed her to notch her sixth goal across the first two rounds of the playoffs. Caroline Bowers made it 4-1 just 30 seconds later before CU, which had dominated draw controls and ground balls in the first quarter, got a goal from Teagan Ryan to stop the run.

In the second quarter, CU further cut the deficit during a player-up situation when Lily Assini buried a free-position shot. Ripple got her hat trick on another player-up opportunity, but the Buffs were able to tie it 5-5 on free-position shots at 8:19 and 4:39. CU tacked on two more to stretch their lead to 7-5 and make a 4-0 run to close the half.

The first five minutes of the third were quiet until Hill netted her first goal for Colorado. DU and CU trade goals, then Bowers added another for the Pios to cut the Buffs’ lead to 9-7 at the end of the third. Colorado’s lead was stretched as far as 11-7 in the fourth before Denver closed the gap in the final five minutes.

Ryan and Rachel Kennedy finished with three goals apiece to lead the Buffs, with Kennedy saying that patience paid off against an aggressive Denver defense.

“Possession was a key for us in this game,” she said. “I had trust in my teammates. Being able to wear down their defense because they’re so aggressive and being able to find gaps. Patience with myself and patience from my teammates helped me find the back of the net.”

Both coaches said they were happy it was two Colorado teams closing out the action in Boulder after the Buffs eked out a 10-9 victory over Jacksonville and the Pioneers hammered Florida 16-8 in the first round Friday.

Denver coach Liza Kelly said that even though her team was on the losing end of the equation, she felt that both squads were elite-eight quality and represented the state well.

“I was so excited to get an all-Colorado sweet 16,” Kelly said. “Going into Friday’s game, I wanted to see CU again and I wanted both of us to be here for this weekend and send the Florida teams packing. I’m proud of the growth of the sport in Colorado to have these two teams facing off.”

It was the first playoff loss for the Pioneers in a game hosted in their home state. Still, with a large freshman class and only five seniors, Kelly said it could be beneficial for the program long term. She compared it to the 2023 senior class that reached the final four after losing in the second round as sophomores.

“For that senior class, that was a driving force,” Kelly said. “For these freshmen, it sets them up to live up to the program’s expectations.”