Contact CU Independent Head Sports Editor Sam Routhier at samuel.routhier@colorado.edu and follow him on Twitter @Samrouthier.
After a last-second defeat against No. 7 USC last Friday, the University of Colorado women’s lacrosse team made sure their win over San Diego State on Sunday would not be decided in the final minute. An especially dominant second half allowed Colorado to walk off of Kittredge Field on Sunday with a 16-3 win.
The Buffaloes struck first in the contest, as sophomore midfielder Darby Kiernan finally found the back of the net with 26:53 remaining in the first half. Kiernan’s goal, her 25th of the season, came after both she and junior attack Johnna Fusco missed shots earlier in the same possession.
From that point on, Colorado never trailed in the contest. Senior midfielder Sarah Lautman extended the lead to 2-0 off of a free position shot, her 18th goal of the season, a little more than a minute after Kiernan’s strike.
Although San Diego State would narrow to the lead to 2-1 with a goal of their own at 23:36, the Buffaloes maintained their advantage by adding on two goals from Fusco at 17:21 and 16:23, and by halftime a third consecutive goal from Fusco and one from freshman midfielder Sophia Castillo stretched the Buffaloes’ lead to a 6-2 advantage.
The second half saw Colorado both tighten its defense and increase intensity on the offensive end. While the Buffaloes would allow only one more goal from the Aztecs in the contest, Colorado managed to tack on 10 goals in the second half. Lautman and Fusco were among the scorers for Colorado, with junior attack Kate Macleay also tallying two goals of her own.
Junior goalie Paige Soenksen had eight saves in the contest, and the Buffaloes on the whole forced 21 San Diego State turnovers against 17 for Colorado. Fusco led all scorers with four goals, while Lautman managed three.
With the win, Colorado moves to a 9-4 record on the season, with a 4-2 mark in the MPSF that allows them to maintain position among the top half of the conference’s teams.
Colorado will remain in Boulder for the second half of a four-game home stand this weekend, when the Buffaloes host St Mary’s on Friday at 3 p.m., and California on Sunday at noon.
