For much of the season, the story of the MPSF had been the emergence of the Colorado program. And for good reason, as the Buffaloes jumped out to an 11-0 start and broke the Top 5 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20.
USC, though, still owned the MPSF championship from last season. And despite a few early non-conference losses, the top seed in the MPSF was still within the Trojans’ grasp.
Friday night, USC made a statement to Colorado at the LA Memorial Coliseum in the form of an 11-5 win. The visiting Buffaloes led 5-4 at halftime, but the Trojans dominated the second half to stay unbeaten in conference play.
Kerrigan Miller goes coast-to-coast for the @USCTrojansLax @OpusBank #12Best Moment! #NCAALAX https://t.co/1olbph8kgW
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 15, 2017
USC got two goals from Kerrigan Miller, Kyle Drexel, Gabby McMahon, Kaeli Huff and Cynthia Del Core in the win.
Darby Kiernan scored twice to push Colorado out to a 4-2 lead. However. USC responded with two of three goals to cut the deficit to 5-4 going into halftime.
Drexel scored two goals in the 7-0 second-half that gave USC the insurmountable lead. The Trojans outshot the Buffaloes 14-6 and picked up 11 ground balls in the second half.
Kylie Ohlmiller Keeps Scoring
It’s become no surprise when Kylie Ohlmiller lights up the stat sheet for Stony Brook. She did so on Friday, scoring five goals and adding six assists to help Stony Brook blow out Vermont 20-6. Ohlmiller pushed her total to 50 goals and 53 assists on the year, becoming the first player in the country to reach 100 points.
The Seawolves scored six of the first seven goals to establish momentum, leading to a 9-4 halftime lead. They outshot the Catamounts 22-8 in the half, while winning 11 of 14 draw controls.
Ohlmiller scored three times and added four assists to help Stony Brook open the second half on a 9-0 run and blow the game open.
James Madison Stays Unbeaten in CAA
Haley Warden scored six goals, including four in the first half, to lead No. 17 James Madison to the 17-9 win over Hofstra on Friday night. With the win, the Dukes move to 4-0 in the CAA.
Warden’s four first-half goals helped James Madison jump out to an 11-4 halftime lead. It outshot Hofstra 20-12 in the period and won 9 of 16 draw controls to fuel the commanding lead.
The Pride kept the second half closer, but still managed just 10 shots in the frame, allowing the Dukes to add to the lead. Alyssa Parrella led the Pride with three goals and two assists.
Stanford Rallies Past Oregon
Kelsey Murray scored four second-half goals to lead Stanford to a comeback win over Oregon in another MPSF battle. The Cardinal trailed trailed 10-5 at half and scored 12 second-half goals to pull back and seal the win.
Mariah Gatti had four goals for the Ducks, which have now lost two straight games for the second time this season.