Louisville Closes Road Trip at No. 14 Denver on Sunday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville women's lacrosse closes its season-opening road trip at Denver this Sunday. The game is set for 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Pioneer All-Access.

The Cardinals are coming off a tough season-opening 14-13 overtime loss at Colorado on Friday. Despite trailing 12-9 entering the fourth quarter, Louisville outscored the Buffaloes 4-1 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. But, the rally was not enough as Colorado scored on a free position with one second left to secure the victory.

Nicole Perroni led the way for Louisville at Colorado as she finished with a career-high five goals and six draw controls. Hannah Morris scored four goals, while Caroline Blalock added two.

In the opener at Colorado, Louisville outshot the Buffaloes, 31-26, and won the draw control battle, 17-14. But, Colorado was 8-10 on free positions, while Louisville finished just 3-6.

ABOUT THE PIONEERS

Denver was unanimously selected as the BIG EAST women's lacrosse preseason favorite. Denver also had three players named the preseason All-Big East Team: attack Bea Behrins and defenders Sammie Morton and Sam Thacker. Denver claimed its first BIG EAST Championship crown in 2021, ending a string of three-straight years as runner-up. The Pioneers went 16-2 overall and 10-0 in BIG EAST play. Denver made its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, earning its fifth bid overall, and advanced to the Round of 16. The Pioneers boasted one of the top defenses in the country, surrendering just 9.39 goals per game to rank 10th nationally, while tallying the third-highest caused turnovers per game clip at 12.56. Among Denver's top returners are Preseason All-BIG EAST Team selections graduate student attacker Bea Behrins (unanimous), graduate student defender Sammie Morton and junior defender Sam Thacker. Behrins is the reigning BIG EAST Attacker of the Year and was just named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Series History - UofL is 3-5 all-time against Denver and 1-3 in Denver. The last meeting in Denver was an 18-2 loss on Feb. 16, 2019. Last year, UofL fell 15-6 at UofL Lacrosse Stadium. The Cardinals have lost four straight to Denver with their last win a 14-3 victory in Louisville on Feb. 20, 2016.

Last Meeting (Feb. 15, 2020) - Louisville could not overcome No. 9 Denver and dropped a 15-6 decision in its home opener. Caroline Blalock led the Cardinals with four points on two goals and two assists, while Alex McNicholas registered a goal and an assist for two points. Goalkeeper Rachel Florek finished the game with 13 saves.

Game Facts
Date: Sunday, February 13
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Site: Denver, Colo. | Peter Barton Stadium
Video: Pioneer All-Access
Last Meeting: L, 15-6 (Feb. 15, 2020 at Louisville)
Series History: 3-5 (L4, 2-2 Home, 1-3 Away, 0-0 Neutral)
Next UofL Game: Friday, Feb. 18 vs. Marquette

For the latest information on Louisville lacrosse, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Twitter account at @LouisvilleLax or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLLacrosse.

Louisville Closes Road Trip at No. 14 Denver on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Caroline Blalock

Rachel Florek

Alex McNicholas

Hannah Morris

Nicole Perroni

University of Louisville Athletics