No. 9 Pioneers Down No. 5 Terrapins on the Road

Next Game:

Niagara

3/9/2023 | 4 P.M. MT

Mar. 09 (Thu) / 4 P.M. MT

 Niagara

History { element.remove(); }); } else{ let elementsToRemove = document.querySelectorAll(‘.postgame_3_nextgame’); elementsToRemove.forEach(element => { element.remove(); }); } ]]> COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 9 Denver Pioneers women’s lacrosse team picked up its second top-five victory in program history on Sunday with an 8-7 win over the No. 5 Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium.
 
Denver improved to 6-0 on the season and has now posted back-to-back victories over ranked teams. The Pios beat No. 21 Michigan 7-5 on Wednesday in their home opener.
 
Senior captains Julia Gilbert and Ellie Curry and sophomore Lauren Black all had multi-goal performances for DU. Gilbert registered her third hat trick of the season, while Curry had her fourth two-score outing this spring and Black her third.
 
Sophomore Mollie Estepp tallied as well with a free-position goal before halftime, and goalkeeper Emelia Bohi stopped seven shots, including one with 55 second remaining as Maryland (3-3) attempted to tie the game. Bohi finished with a .500 save percentage, posting seven saves on 14 shots on goal.
 
The Pioneers were led defensively by graduate student Trinity McPherson, who totaled five draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior Sam Thacker also forced two turnovers while adding two ground balls and one draw control.
 
Denver’s victory was its first in school history over Maryland as the Pioneers were 0-4 in the previous matchups, with the teams last meeting on May 18, 2019 in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. It was also DU’s first top-five win on the road, as its only other such victory came on Feb. 24, 2019 when it defeated No. 4 Stony Brook 11-7 at Peter Barton Stadium while ranked No. 16 in the media poll.
 
Maryland scored the first two goals of the contest in the opening quarter, but Denver tallied twice in the final 1:04 to even the score before the first break. Black recorded her seventh of the year off a pass from Sloane Kipp with 64 seconds remaining and Gilbert scored her first of the day with 18 ticks left in the frame.
 
Gilbert added her second of the afternoon 2:12 into the second stanza to give Denver its first lead in the all-time series before UMD’s Libby May tallied at 11:19 to even the score at three-all and end the Pios’ run—albeit briefly. The Pioneers added four more goals, leading 5-3 at halftime and by a 7-3 score before the Terrapins found the back of the net again.
 
Maryland tallied four the game’s final five markers and cut the deficit to one on two occasions, including making it 8-7 on Victoria Hensch’s free-position goal with 1:57 left in the fourth.
 
Curry tallied the game-winner for Denver with six minutes to play to make it an 8-6 contest. Playing in her home state, the Lutherville native took a pass from Estepp, streaked around the arch before unleashing a shot into the top corner to push Denver’s lead to 8-6.
 
The Terps had a 23-19 edge in total shots, but the Pios finished with advantage with shots on goal at 16-14. Maryland finished with a slight edge in ground balls (15-14) and draw controls (10-9), while DU forced 17 turnovers on UMD.
 
UP NEXT: After playing five of their first six games on the road, the Pioneers begin their first homestand of the season over the next eight days. They host Niagara on Thursday at 4 p.m. MT and Delaware on Monday, March 13 at 11 a.m. MT at Peter Barton Stadium.
 
 
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
8:02 UMD (0-1) – Kori Edmondson (FPS)
3:48 UMD (0-2) – Kori Edmondson, assisted by Hannah Leubecker (UP)
1:04 DU (1-2) – Lauren Black, assisted by Sloane Kipp
0:18 DU (2-2) – Julia Gilbert, unassisted
 
Second Quarter
12:48 DU (3-2) – Julia Gilbert (FPS)
11:19 UMD (3-3) – Libby May, assisted by Hannah Leubecker
10:23 DU (4-3) – Ellie Curry, unassisted
2:27 DU (5-3) – Mollie Estepp (FPS) (DOWN)
 
Third Quarter
13:56 DU (6-3) – Julia Gilbert, unassisted
10:14 DU (7-3) – Lauren Black, unassisted
7:41 UMD (7-4) – Eloise Clevenger, unassisted
6:44 UMD (7-5) – Hannah Leubecker, unassisted
1:07 UMD (7-6) – Kori Edmondson, unassisted (DOWN)
 
Fourth Quarter
6:00 DU (8-6) – Ellie Curry, unassisted
1:57 UMD (8-7) – Victoria Hensh (FPS) (UP)
 
 
TICKETS: Single-game tickets are on sale now by clicking here. Call the Denver Ticket Office at 303-871-4625 for group discounts of 10 or more people.
 
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