BOULDER — Colorado women’s lacrosse made program history Sunday in Boulder, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to beat Denver 11-9 in an all-Colorado NCAA Tournament second-round matchup at Prentup Field.
The win sent the Buffaloes to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history and kept one of the best seasons in program history moving. Colorado improved to 16-3, extended its winning streak to nine games, and closed out a perfect 9-0 home season.
This was not a clean, easy win. It was a response win.
After Maddie Shoup scored less than a minute into the game to put Colorado on the board first, Denver answered with four straight goals to grab a 4-1 lead. The Pioneers looked sharp early, and the Buffs had to dig out of their largest deficit of the season.
Colorado started that push late in the first quarter when Teagan Ryan scored to cut the lead to 4-2. In the second, Lily Assini found the net to make it 4-3 before Denver’s Olivia Ripple answered to put the Pioneers back in front 5-3. That was where the game began to turn.
Colorado closed the first half with four straight goals and took control for good.
Shoup scored again, then Rachel Kennedy struck twice in just over two minutes to put the Buffs ahead 6-5. Ryan added another goal with 58 seconds left in the half, and suddenly Colorado had turned an early hole into a 7-5 lead at the break.
That second-quarter stretch changed the game.
Kennedy, who scored five goals in Colorado’s earlier win over Denver on April 15, hurt the Pioneers again Sunday. The junior finished with 3 goals and 1 assist to lead all players with four points. Ryan added 3 goals of her own, while Shoup had 2 goals and 1 assist. Assini scored once and added 2 assists, both of which helped fuel Colorado’s comeback.
The second half was tighter and more defensive, but the Buffs kept control. Jaimey Hill opened the third-quarter scoring before Rowan Edson added another goal to help Colorado build a 9-6 lead. Denver cut it to 9-7 entering the fourth, but Colorado answered again. Kennedy and Ryan scored in the final quarter to stretch the lead to 11-7 before the Pioneers added two late goals to trim the final margin.
Goalkeeper Elena Oh made seven saves, and Colorado’s defense once again delivered in a high-pressure moment. The Buffs held Denver to 18 shots and protected the lead late, even after the Pioneers made one last push.
After the game, head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said Colorado stayed composed when the moment got big.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Whidden said. “I’m just proud of our team for sticking with it, believing and just going one play at a time.”
Lily Assini pointed to Colorado’s growth in those pressure moments.
“Being down early, we knew that we could still get the job done,” Assini said. “Just having that faith in ourselves and knowing that no matter what they’re doing, just focusing on our gameplan.”
That belief showed up again Sunday.
Colorado did not just beat Denver for the second time this season. The Buffs answered an early punch, flipped the game in the second quarter, and earned the biggest NCAA Tournament win in program history.
Now the next chapter gets even bigger.
Colorado will travel to Northwestern for its first NCAA quarterfinal appearance, setting up another rematch. The Buffs opened the 2026 season with a 10-9 win over the Wildcats on Feb. 9. This time, the stakes are even higher, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
