Buffs lacrosse takes care of business on rainy Senior Night

Senior midfielder Ashley Stokes tallied four goals for the Buffs on senior night. Her efforts paired with Madeline Pisani's seven goals were too much for the Oregon defense to handle en route to a 20-8 victory. (Photo via Remi Krupinski/Sko Buffs Sports)

BOULDER – The No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes women’s lacrosse team (11-5, 5-2 Pac-12) defeated the Oregon Ducks (8-6, 2-5 Pac-12) in the final regular season game on Friday night. 

The game, originally scheduled for a 6 p.m. MT first draw at Prentup Field, was moved to the Indoor Practice Facility after an extensive rain delay.

The Buffs entered the night locked into third place in next week’s Pac-12 tournament, but that didn’t stop head coach Ann Elliot Whidden’s squad from putting their foot down early. After a 95-minute delay, Jess Peluso forced an early turnover to add to her school record, and Ashley Stokes took care of business on the other end for the game’s opening goal.

“I thought the team handled [the venue change] great, that can go one way or the other,” Whidden said. “They did a great job of coming out with intensity and focus.”

Just over five minutes later, Madeline Pisani put the Buffs up 2-1 with her 50th goal of the season. She finished the night with seven goals, tied for the most in a game this season by an individual for the Buffs.

The Buffs dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Ducks 8-2 in the period. Pisani added four more goals on the offensive end, while the defense forced six turnovers to keep the ball on the offensive half of the field.

The pace of the game slowed down in the second half, as the Buffs pushed the lead to ten goals, starting the running clock for the rest of the night. After three, the Buffs led 16-6, and the lead grew to 20-8 at the final buzzer of the night.

The Buffs offense has been firing on all cylinders down the stretch, as the team has put up a season-high 20 goals in three of the final four games. Whidden was pleased with the aggressiveness of her group and the fact that they passed up “OK” opportunities for much better ones.

The Buffs currently await their first-round opponent in next week’s conference tournament. They will play the No. 6 team in the conference on Wednesday, May 1, at an undetermined time. In last season’s tournament, the Buffs made the championship game as the third seed but lost to USC.

“We know we’re capable of winning the whole thing,” Whidden said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us so we need to do the little things right.”