It was a good day for offenses. Not so good for defenses.
Nine offenses put at least 20 goals on the board, leading to some wild individual stat lines. Here’s how everything went down in Division I women’s lacrosse on Sunday.
ARIZONA STATE BLASTS COLORADO
It was not a good weekend for No. 19 Colorado.
Just two days after losing to No. 17 USC, Colorado was blasted by Arizona State 20-6 in Tempe, Arizona. Emily Glagolev scored six times with three assists, and Carley Adams scored five times in the win.
Arizona State (3-2) led 14-2 at halftime. A 10-goal run from the end of the first quarter throughout the entire second quarter set the tone and put the Sun Devils in a comfortable position. A combination of three Colorado goalies combined for just one save in the game, while Katie Vahle made six saves for Arizona State.
Arizona State was also remarkably efficient, scoring its 20 goals on 27 shots.
DENVER WINS STATEMENT GAME
No. 11 Denver handed No. 8 Michigan its first loss thanks to a dominant fourth quarter. Denver, which finished the game on a five-goal run, got two fourth-quarter tallies from Ellie Curry and one each from Lauren Black and Julia Gilbert to down the Wolverines 9-8.
Denver (7-1), which held No. 1 Boston College to nine goals in a 9-5 cold-shortened game that lasted three quarters on Wednesday, continued to show that its defense is among the nation’s best. Sam Thacker continued her outstanding season by causing three turnovers, leading a defense that forced Michigan into 17 of them.
Michigan (7-1) couldn’t get its offense going late and now heads into Big Ten play next week against Johns Hopkins.
RUTGERS DEFENSE LOCKS IN
Rutgers will start Big Ten play next week against No. 3 Maryland, but at 8-0 for the first time in program history, the Scarlet Knights are in a better position than ever to make noise.
Rutgers scored the final six goals of the game to beat James Madison 12-5, with five goals from Cassidy Spilis and four points each from Stephanie Kelly and Taralyn Naslonski leading the offense.
Jessica Beneducci was all over the field defensively, posting six ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sophia Cardello made nine saves.
Having gone 7-9 in 2021, Rutgers has already exceeded that wins total. James Madison is now 3-4 with three more tough opponents on deck in No. 16 Richmond, No. 15 Virginia and Maryland.
ROLLERCOASTER SEASON CONTINUES FOR NOTRE DAME
Is there another team in the country with more unpredictable results than Notre Dame?
A few days after a 13-12 loss to unranked Virginia Tech, the Irish walloped No. 18 Jacksonville 20-5. The Irish led 8-2 after the first quarter, 14-4 at halftime and 17-5 after three quarters.
Kasey Choma (six goals, two assists) and Madison Ahern (six goals, one assist) were the catalysts on offense, but the Notre Dame (3-5) defense was the story.
Jacksonville (3-3) entered the game tied for 10th nationally with 16.20 goals per game, but Notre Dame held the Dolphins to just 19 shots and forced them into 17 turnovers. The Irish also held a 22-7 advantage on draws, led by eight from Madison Mote and six from Kelly Denes.