Late Surge by Colorado Ends 2019 Season for Dartmouth in NCAA Tournament

Friday, May 10

Newton, Mass.

4:00 PM

Dartmouth College

11-6

Colorado

11-7

Colorado

Dartmouth

Katie Bourque ’20

Photo by: Matt and John Risley (Risley Sports)

Late Surge by Colorado Ends 2019 Season for Dartmouth in NCAA Tournament

5/10/2019 6:10:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score PDF Stats Photos by Matt Risley

Big Green fall to Colorado in opening round of national postseason.

By: Pat Salvas

NEWTON, Mass. – The No. 18 Dartmouth women's lacrosse team had its chances in the second half, but a late push by No. 21 Colorado proved costly as the season ended with a 16-13 loss Friday afternoon in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

A back-and-forth game from start to finish was tied 7-7 at halftime, but at the end of 60 minutes, it was the Buffaloes (11-7) who had taken the upper hand in the first meeting against the Big Green (11-6).

Colorado turned a 12-10 deficit midway through the second half around in a hurry, scoring six of the final seven goals in the game to take the win and advance to play No. 1 Boston College Sunday in the second round, a game that will also be played on the Eagles' home field in Newton.

"You are never ready for the season to end, and it does so abruptly before you are ready for it. So this is a lot to deal with emotionally for our group," head coach Danielle Spencer said. "But we can't let one loss today define the way we feel about ourselves, or the body of work that we put together this season.

"This team had a great season, taking the program further than it has been in several years and setting Dartmouth records in the process; and they have so much to be proud of. I am so sad it's over, but I believe we can hold our heads high," Spencer added.

Senior Kellen D'Alleva finished with three goals and three assists for a six-point afternoon, capping her final season in Hanover with 69 points, the seventh-best year in program history.

Fellow senior Kierra Sweeney scored once and finished with three points, pushing her 2019 total to 73 points, tied for the second-best single-season total by a Dartmouth player in more than four decades of play.

Junior Ellie Carson scored four times, while Campbell Brewer and Sophia Turchetta each had a pair. Sweeney and Elizabeth Mastrio each found the back of the net once in their final collegiate game.

In her final game in a Dartmouth uniform, senior Kathryn Giroux had 17 draw controls, the third-best single-game mark in her career and, therefore, the third-best mark in program history. She finishes her career with 418 draws, a figure that ranks as the 11th all-time in the NCAA record books.

Sam Nemirov led the way for the Buffaloes with five goals, while
Miranda Stinson had four goals and five points. Perhaps the best player of the day for Colorado, though, was goalkeeper Julia Lisella and her 15 saves.

Dartmouth had a 25-6 edge in draw controls, but the play of Lisella thwarted several of those first-possession opportunities and allowed her team to go the other way without surrendering a goal against.

Big Green goalkeeper Kiera Vrindten turned aside seven shots as the team in Green held a 28-23 edge in shots on goal.

Dartmouth is now 11-15 all-time in NCAA Tournament games with the 2019 at-large bid representing the 15th appearance in program history and the first since 2013.