BERKELEY - No. 9 Colorado defeated the California women's lacrosse team, 18-6, Sunday afternoon from California Memorial Stadium. Sunday was also Senior Day for the Golden Bears' seven seniors. Cal ends the regular season with a record of 5-12 and 3-5 in the MPSF.
Cal's leading scorer in 2017,
Jena Fritts once again paced her squad on the scoresheet with three points (two goals, one assist).
Susie Ropp tallied a goal and an assist, while
Kirsten Swanson chipped in with two assists.
Elizabeth Pellechi,
Caroline Corzel and
Caroline Schlegel each scored, as well.
The Bears kept the game close early in the first half. Cal and Colorado traded goals in the first seven minutes of the contest with Cal's tallies coming from Fritts and Pellechi. The Buffaloes scored the next five consecutive goals to take control of the game.
Defensively,
Sara Nolte scooped up three ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Elizabeth Koehler collected three draw controls.
Cal's seven seniors playing for the final time at California Memorial Stadium -
Charlotte Biffar,
Jena Fritts,
Sara Nolte,
Elizabeth Pellechi,
Wheatley Raabe,
Caroline Schlegel and
Nicole Vincelette were honored in a pregame ceremony prior to the start of the game.
"This senior class will be leaving us with a big hole that we're going to have to figure out how to fill," head coach
Brooke Eubanks said. "They are leaders on and off the field, they're great lacrosse players, but more importantly, they're really good people. They've helped us change the culture. They've not only made us better for today, but for the future."
The Bears will now get set for their first MPSF Tournament appearance since 2013 when they travel to Los Angeles as the No. 6 seed. Cal faces No. 3 seed Stanford on Thursday, April 27, at noon from the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
"It's awesome," Eubanks said about Cal qualifying for the tournament. "This is the first time for everybody on the team, from the seniors, to the freshmen all the way to the coaching staff. To achieve a big goal like that is really exciting for us. Anything can happen in the playoffs. We've progressed this season, and that's one of the most important things, as a coach. We needed to keep getting better, and we did that. We stayed focused. We weathered through some rough patches, like one-goal losses. We really were able to turn it around and finish where we wanted to be."
