Second-quarter surge powers Colorado past Army

Colorado Buffaloes lacrosse was on point on Sunday, triumphing over Army at West Point. (Photo by Nick Rauscher/Sko Buffs Sports)

The No. 11 Colorado Buffaloes (4-1) secured a big bounce-back win, 13-6, on Sunday against No. 19 Army (3-2). 

Senior attacker Maddie Shoup led all scorers. She found the back of the net two times and assisted on three goals for the Buffs. 

Junior attacker Jaimey Hill found the nylon three times, while freshman attacker Rowan Edson and senior midfielder Lily Assini added two apiece for the Buffs. 

Colorado played an aggressive offensive game, outshooting Army 29-19, including 22-14 on goal and 3-0 on free position shots.

"What a great opportunity [for us]," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "For us to come out and play again, after that loss to Stony Brook, I thought our team came out confident and played together.”

The first period started slowly for both teams. The first goal of the game did not come until seven minutes in from Army senior attacker Allison Reilly. This would be the first — and last — lead that the Black Knights would see. 

Junior defender Averi Gardner would answer for the Buffs two minutes later, splitting three Army defenders and finding the net. 

Hill secured her first of the game off a free position attempt, shooting it high to put Colorado up 2-1 with 3:10 remaining in the first. 

Shoup got the last goal of the quarter, using a spin move to get a good look at the nylon. Senior defender Jess Peluso picked off a pass by Army to give the Buffs the last possession of the quarter and put them up 3-1. 

The second quarter was the turning point for Colorado, scoring six goals and holding Army scoreless. This effort was led by Hill, who snuck inside and banked in a shot off the ground to put the Buffs up 4-1. 

Edson found her first goal of the game six minutes into the second quarter, finding a straight-on look and firing into the back of the nylon. 

Ryan and Assini found back-to-back goals with 4:10 remaining in the quarter, giving CU its biggest lead yet of 7-1. 

The Buffs’ defense did a good job turning over the Black Knights, forcing five Army giveaways and clearing the ball four times. 

Shoup assisted freshman attacker Sophia Yeskulsky to find her second goal of the seasofn. 

Assini snuck in yet another goal for Colorado with 36 seconds left, making it 9-1 going into halftime. 

Senior midfielder Molly Reed found her first goal of the season at the beginning of the third quarter. She split three defenders to get a quick look inside for the Buffs.

Army answered Colorado’s 10-0 scoring run with another goal from Reily, who took it coast to coast. The Black Knights secured another quick score four minutes into the third quarter, but the Buffs still led 10-3. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Elena Oh staved off a further run by Army, making two big saves for Colorado. 

Colorado stayed quiet until the last 4 minutes of the quarter when Shoup scored off an assist from Hill, putting them up 11-3. 

The Black Knights answered with another goal from Riely, but it would not be enough as the Buffs led 11-4 at the end of the third quarter. 

Army came into the third quarter understanding it had a big gap to fill and scored two goals early, leaving them down only 11-6. On the defensive end, senior goalkeeper Lindsey Serafine was trying to will her team back in the game with five saves in the quarter.

However, the effort would not be enough to hold down the aggressive Buffs. CU managed two more goals by Shoup and Edson, securing a dominant 13-6 win. 

"We have to be a little more consistent in our play throughout four quarters," Whidden said. "Especially coming out of halftime. That will be a focus for us. But in general, I think, we're playing a good team that fights and scraps."

Colorado will travel to Ann Arbor to play the Michigan Wolverines next Sunday. First draw is set for 11 a.m. MT on the B1G+ network.