After dropping games to Louisville and Vanderbilt to open the season, Colorado got back on track, upsetting state rival and No. 11 Denver 14-7 on Sunday afternoon.

The Buffs led from start to finish, but it was just a one-goal lead at 8-7 with 10 minutes to play before Colorado ripped off six straight goals to close the game. Zoe Lawless scored all three of her goals during the game-closing run, including this emphatic score.

Zoe Lawless with the accuracy and an emphatic stick toss - one of her three goals as @CUBuffsWLax upsets Denver 14-7. pic.twitter.com/phbS3IJkrZ

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) February 28, 2021

Sadie Grozier led Colorado with four goals, Charlie Rudy added three and Lawless had a pair of assists to go with her three goals. Julia Lisella made six saves whle allowing just seven goals to pick up the victory in net.

Eliza Radochonski led Denver with two goals.

Ortega Sets UNC Goal Record

Jamie Ortega scored four goals, including the 199^th of her career, as top-ranked North Carolina improved to 5-0 with a 17-6 victory over Vanderbilt. Ortega’s 199 career goals broke the UNC record of 198 set by Abbey Friend from 2011-14.

“To be honest, I really didn’t know I was even close to breaking the record until a couple of my teammates told me,” Ortega said in a UNC release after the game. “Once I broke the record, I was reflecting on all my years here and how far everyone on this team has come. Each year, I appreciate my teammates more and more. Yes, I’m the one that broke the record, but it’s such a team accomplishment.”

A first-half hat trick from Ortega helped the Tar Heels to a 10-3 halftime lead and then she broke the record with 24:49 to go in the game.

Ortega added three assists for a team-high seven points and the Tar Heels also got four goals and an assist from Scottie Rose Growney and two goals and three assists from Katie Hoeg. Elizabeth Scarrone had a pair of goals for Vanderbilt (2-2).

Northwestern Keeps Rolling Behind Scane

Izzy Scane poured in seven goals as No. 4 Northwestern doubled up Johns Hopkins 18-9 to move to 3-0 for the season. The Wildcats prolific offense has generated 58 goals in the opening three games, 20 of them coming from Scane’s stick.

On Sunday, Scane scored just 35 seconds into the game and the Wildcats never trailed. Leading 10-6 early in the second half, Northwestern ended any doubt with a five-goal run, including three in a row from Scane.

Lauren Gilbert added four goals, two assists and nine draw controls for Northwestern while Elle Hansen, Lindsey McKone and Sammy Mueller each scored twice. Johns Hopkins (0-3) was led by Maggie Schneidereith with four goals and two assists.

Maryland Overcomes Slow Start, Sweeps Michigan

Plagued by early turnovers, Maryland fell behind Michigan 4-1 through the first 20 minutes of the game, but scored seven times in the final 10 minutes of the first half to take an 8-5 halftime lead en route to a 12-9 victory over Michigan.

Sunday’s win completed a weekend sweep for the Terps over the Wolverines. Maryland outscored Michigan 17-13 on Friday.

Grace Griffin led the Terps (2-1) with four goals and Hannah Leubecker, who scored seven times in Friday’s win, added a hat trick. Emily Sterling went the distance in goal, making seven saves, to pick up the win.

Grace Under Fire. Grace Griffin with four goals as @MarylandWLax completes a weekend sweep of Michigan. Terps win 12-9 today. pic.twitter.com/4KYgpPC4By

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) February 28, 2021

Michigan, which fell to 0-3 to open the season, was led by Kaitlyn Mead with three goals and an assist.

Rutgers Nips Ohio State to Continue Big Start

Rutgers, which had not won a Big Ten game since April 2018 coming into the season, beat Ohio State 10-9 on Hannah Hollingsworth’s goal with just over four minutes to play.

straight for the Scarlet Knights. @rutgers_wlax with a 10-9 victory over Ohio State as Hannah Hollingsworth slams home the game-winner. pic.twitter.com/hGofj9dhos

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) February 28, 2021

The Scarlet Knights have now won three straight games to improve to 3-1 overall and 3-1 in the league. The three conference wins is the most for Rutgers in the Big Ten since it joined the league for women’s lacrosse in 2015.

Jenna Byrne and Cassidy Spilis each had hat tricks for Rutgers and Sophia Cardello made four saves while allowing just two second-half goals to earn the win in goal for the Scarlet Knights.

Ashley Turner led Ohio State (1-3, 1-3 Big Ten) with three goals while Jillian Rizzo made 10 saves.

Notable

Catherine Cordrey had four goals and two assists as No. 9 Duke beat East Carolina 16-4. Sophia LeRose made four saves for the Blue Devils (4-1).

Eleven different players scored goals as Towson improved to 4-0 with an 18-4 victory over George Mason. The Tigers host Stony Brook next Sunday in their biggest test of the season.

Senior Tyra Prince delivered in overtime as Central Michigan beat Oregon 12-11 on the goal below. Oregon had a goal waved off in extra time due to a dangerous follow through before Prince's game-winner. Natalie Karlen scored six goals for CMU (2-1).

Senior Tyra Prince to the turf for the game-winner in OT! @CMU_Lacrosse downs Oregon 12-11. pic.twitter.com/Ai4XkCH3NN

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) February 28, 2021

Haley Connaughton had nine points (5g, 4a), one away from her school-record tying total of 10 set in 2019, as Massachusetts opened its season with a 23-13 win over Boston University.

Ali Baiocco scored eight goals as Stanford opened its season with a 16-9 victory over UC Davis. After falling behind 2-0 early, Stanford scored six straight goals, the first three by Baiocco to move in front.

Akron, which debuted its varsity program in 2020, picked up its first win ever, coming back to down St. Francis (Pa.) 8-7. Alexis Kiefer scored the go-ahead goal with 35 seconds to play and had tied it with 1:29 left. Kiefer led the Zips with four goals, all of them coming in the final 12 minutes of the game.

Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Scoreboard

No. 1 North Carolina 17, Vanderbilt 6
No. 4 Northwestern 18, Johns Hopkins 9
No. 9 Duke 16, East Carolina 4
Colorado 14, No. 11 Denver 7
No. 13 Maryland 12, No. 20 Michigan 9
Rutgers 10, No. 19 Ohio State 9

Other Scores

Akron 8, St. Francis (Pa.) 7
Albany 15, Colgate 12
Central Michigan 12, Oregon 11 (OT)
Connecticut 19, New Hampshire 3
Davidson 17, Campbell 7
Marquette 19, Ken State 8
Massachusetts 23, Boston University 13
Robert Morris 12, Gardner Webb 9
San Diego State 12, Cal 11
Stanford 16, UC Davis 9
Towson 18, George Mason 4
UMass-Lowell 21, Central Connecticut 11