Colorado upended at Louisville, falls to 0-2
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 10th season in Colorado lacrosse history is off to a tough start.
The Buffaloes were buried in the third period on Sunday and couldn’t recover in a 12-5 loss to Louisville at Uofl Lacrosse Stadium.
On the heels of an overtime loss at Vanderbilt on Friday, CU has started 0-2 for just the second time in program history. The only other time came in 2021, when the Buffs opened with the same trip — at Louisville and Vanderbilt.
“We saw some sparks on defense in both games, and we can build off of that, but we have to be able to sustain it for 60 minutes,” coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. “We are capable of carrying this team defensively, but we have to lock it in for 60 minutes and a full 90 seconds each possession.”
In this one, the Buffs rallied from a 5-1 halftime deficit to pull within 5-4 on a Charlie Rudy goal with 9:30 to play in the third quarter.
Louisville responded with a 7-0 run, with Izzy Seikel scoring four of those goals, to increase its lead to 12-4 with 6:54 to play in the fourth.
CU managed just one more goal down the stretch.
“Offensively we have to shoot better” Whidden said. “We have to commit to running our offense with purpose and aggressiveness, but be patient enough to wait for great opportunities.”
Rudy had three goals to lead the Buffs, while Morgan Pence had a goal and an assist. Sam Mcgee added a goal for CU.
Statistically, the Buffs and Cardinals were close, with Louisville having slight advantages in total shots (28-26) and shots on goal (21-19). CU had an 11-10 advantage in draw controls.
CU will host Denver on Saturday at 1 p.m. in its home opener at Kittredge Field.
“Our schedule is built for us to have to compete every play to win,” Whidden said. “We have some great opportunities ahead of us, and we have to decide today who we want to be and if we want to claw our way out of this or just continue to settle.”