The Colorado Buffaloes women’s lacrosse team will return home on March 13 to face the Stetson Hatters, marking their first home game in 21 days. The match, originally set for Prentup Field, has been moved indoors to the Ford Practice Facility due to weather forecasts.
This game follows a challenging three-game road stretch for the Buffaloes, who currently hold a 4-2 record. During their time away, Colorado secured a win against then-No. 22 Army but fell short against No. 18 Stony Brook and No. 8 Michigan by a combined margin of three goals.
Head coach Ann Elliott Whidden addressed areas for improvement after the recent loss at Michigan. “We just have to do better,” Whidden said following the loss at Michigan. “We have to do better at executing in possessions. We have to do better at valuing possessions. And we have to do better in a lot of areas as we transition from defense to offense.”
The Buffaloes have faced challenges with clears and draw controls this season, ranking near the bottom of the Big 12 Conference in both categories with an 84.1% clear rate and a 44% draw control rate. Last season, they were among the top 25 teams nationally in these statistics.
Despite these struggles, Colorado has compensated by excelling defensively, leading the Big 12 with an average of over ten caused turnovers per game and ranking among the top teams nationally in this area. Jess Peluso, Lily Assini, and Molly Reed are notable contributors, each ranking within the top five in conference caused turnovers.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s matchup, Stetson arrives with an 0-6 record and has allowed an average of twenty goals per game this season. The Hatters will play Denver before facing Colorado for their third meeting; previous games between these teams took place in DeLand, Florida.
The game is scheduled for noon Mountain Time and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
