GAME REPORT 1
BOULDER—Crowds of anxious fans awaited the matchup. The sun beat down on the field as a slight breeze blew through. As the seconds ticked down on the clock and the warmups concluded the teams took their place on the field. A game many have been waiting for since the conclusion of the 2021 season. The Colorado Buffaloes men’s club lacrosse team hosted the University of Georgia in their first game of the 2022 season on Feb. 19.
The Bulldogs came out fighting and scored the first goal of the game. The Bulldogs put the pressure on the Colorado defense from the beginning. It did not stop until the game ended. By the end of the first quarter the Buffs were able to match Georgia’s energy and tie the game at 3-3.
Georgia did not hold back. They came out aggressive and put up another 6 points in the second quarter alone. The Buffaloes struggled on defense the first half as Georgia was suffocating them. Every time the Buffs were able to secure the ball away from their goal the Bulldogs came barking back and took it away. Despite a rough defensive half Colorado was able to add two more points to their score to make the score going into the second half 5-9 Georgia.
After halftime, Colorado implemented a goalie change from senior Aaron Hoekstra to senior Trevor Clark. This was a turning point in the game. Coming into the second half the Buffs were fired up. They could feel a comeback. There was a clear momentum shift, the Buffs were hungry.
Georgia came out aggressive right from the start of the second half. They scored two points within 3 minutes of each other. The Buffaloes responded by adding two more goals to their score before Georgia could score again. Georgia’s Riley Walker scored five points for the Bulldogs by the end of the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter Colorado was able to sneak past Georgia’s defense and make it a score of 10-15.
Throughout the second half Colorado struggled to maintain possession of the ball. Georgia’s defense and goalies were aggressive and did not let much get by. Colorado’s senior attackman Greyson Mitchell had a total of 5 goals throughout the game and midfielder Colin Greene carried the Buffs with 3 crucial goals for the Buffs late in the game.
During the fourth quarter the Buffs were able to regain some momentum and score back to back goals during the middle of the fourth to make it 13-16 in hopes of taking over the Bulldogs. In the end, Georgia’s offense took over Colorado’s defense the whole game making it nearly impossible at times to get to the other side of the field.
The Buffaloes fell to Georgia 14-16 in their home opener. Colorado will host Texas Tech University at 7 P.M. on Friday, March 11 at Kittredge Field.
GAME REPORT 2
BOULDER—Students and families alike gathered at Kittredge Fields on Friday, March 4 anxiously awaiting the Colorado Buffaloes matchup against No. 16 Vanderbilt. The unranked Buffs were hungry for a national upset. This marked the second ever matchup against the Buffs and the Commodores. Not only was Colorado looking to knock off a nationally ranked team, but they also wanted revenge after falling short during the last matchup in overtime.
The Buffs came out aggressive from the beginning as they scored the first goal of the game 2:34 into the first period. They added another goal about a minute later. Vanderbilt came fighting back after Colorado’s streak. Colorado and Vanderbilt went back and forth the first period and ended tied 4-4 going into the second.
Both sides showed impressive ball movement on offense and very aggressive defenders as well as a lot of aggressive yet strategic defensive plays. Colorado’s junior goalie Grace Donnelly protected the goal well against Vanderbilt’s tough attacking offensive.
Colorado’s Charlie Rudy and Sadie Grozier celebrated milestones throughout the game. Rudy scored her 100th career goal while Grozier scored her 150th goal wearing Colorado across her chest. Both Rudy and Grozier played huge roles offensively throughout the game. They helped lead the offensive push during the whole game.
The Buffs continued their aggressive offensive approach going into the second half. It worked to their benefit. Colorado soon went on a scoring streak to pull ahead of Vanderbilt. Donnelly worked the Colorado defensive front as they held Vanderbilt to only three goals during the second period. Colorado managed to score six goals making it 10-7.
The third period was quieter than the first half, but was dominated by Colorado’s offensive. Vanderbilt was only able to sneak on goal during the third period while the Buffs added four more goals. Three of the four goals added during the third period were contributed by senior attacker Chole Willard. The score going into the fourth period was 14-8 Buffs.
The Commodores struggled to gain their momentum back from the first half as the Buffs took over during the second. Colorado’s sophomore attacker Morgan Pence ended the game with four goals. Willard also squeezed one by Vanderbilt to add a fourth and final goal to her tally. The offense did not let down during the fourth quarter, they continued to apply pressure to Vanderbilt’s defense and ultimately scored four more goals. The Commodores were able to add three in the fourth quarter.
The Buffs defeated No. 16 Vanderbilt 18-11 to continue their early season winning streak, they are now 4-0 this season. After taking down the Commodores the Buffs were able to secure spots on both national lacrosse rankings. Colorado is now ranked No. 23 in the IL Women/IWLCA Division I and No. 19 in USA Lacrosse Magazine Polls. In the end, Colorado was able to maintain a strong, aggressive offensive throughout the game as their defense remained just as strong and hard to get through.
GAME REPORT 3
BOULDER—The sidelines of Kittredge field packed up as students flooded in after arriving back to Boulder from spring break travels and families supporting their daughters as the Buffs hosted the University of California Berkeley. Coming off of a win over No. 24 Stanford two days prior the Buffs were hungry for another home win.
Fifth year attacker Sadie Grozier started the Buffs off with a goal early in the first quarter. The momentum never stopped for the Buffs. Senior attacker Charlie Rudy added another goal just 30 seconds after her teammate. The Buffs offense was not the only thing on fire, their defense only allowed two goals from Cal during the first quarter. By the end of the first quarter Grozier was able to add two more goals along with a long shot from fifth year attacker Sam McGee, making it 5-2 Colorado.
The Colorado offense found their rhythm during the second quarter. Their explosive offensive was no match for Cal’s defense, their crisp, purposeful passes stood out in comparison to Cal’s offense. Grozier added two more goals to her already three goals from the first quarter. Senior attacker Chloe Willard, Junior midfielder Katie Haley and freshman midfielder Katie Giordano all added goals in the second quarter. Colorado’s junior goalie Grace Donnelly had an exciting day with a total of 14 saves during the game. Cal was about to sneak in two more goals during the second quarter making it 10-4 going into the second half.
Coming back after halftime Cal took charge and scored the first goal of the second half. The Buffs quickly responded by scoring three goals before Cal could score another goal. In response, Cal went on a 0-4 scoring run before Willard could break their streak and score for the Buffs. By the end of the third quarter it was 14-8 Colorado.
Going into the fourth quarter Colorado’s defense was eager to keep Berkely from scoring again. Cal was only able to put two points on the board. Donnelly was put to work, but was able to recover and only allow those two goals past. Colorado’s explosive offense slowed down as Cal’s defense took the forefront during the fourth quarter. The Buffs were also only able to get two points up during the fourth quarter finishing the game 16-10. Grozier finished the game with 6 goals and led the Colorado offense to victory.
“I think we came in with a good game plan and we were trying to attack the backside and make sure everyone was a threat which was shown by all of our goalscorers, so we just stuck to that game plan and it worked out,” said Grozier in a post game interview.
The win over No. 24 Stanford and Cal this weekend landed the Buffs back in the polls. Colorado now sits at No. 24 in the IL Women/IWLCA D1 Poll and No. 18 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll. Grozier was also honored with PAC-12 offensive player of the week and Donnelly earned PAC-12 defensive player of the week.
In the end, the Buffs prevailed against the California bears with their communication, precise passes and intense defense. Colorado remains undefeated at home this season.
“I think our draw control unit impressed me a lot and also our defense obviously. Grace in goal did a great job,” Grozier said. “We had a lot of momentum coming off of Stanford, but we knew we needed to win this game in order to make our goals happen later in May, so I’m really proud of everybody on both ends of the field.”
Comments