FINAL SCORE: Denver 16, Vermont 3
NEWTON, Mass. – Ava Vasile scored the first NCAA Tournament goal in program history, but Vermont (14-5, 3-3 AE) fell to Denver (18-2, 5-0 Big East) 16-3 in the First Round on Friday afternoon at Newton Campus Lacrosse Field.
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Unfortunately, it wasn't our day today, but there is so much to be proud of this season," head coach
Sarah Dalton Graddock said. "A huge thank you to our team for their commitment and belief every day. Thank you to Jess Drummond and
Casey Pearsall for their endless work to help develop our 35 young women on and off the field. Also to
Kristen O'Connell and Bekkah Bond for keeping us strong and healthy. Our program has taken a huge step forward and I'm excited to build on our success in the future. I'm going to miss seeing this group every day."
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Denver jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game, with Mollie Estepp scoring twice to lead the Pioneers in the opening minutes. Vasile snapped the early run with the first NCAA Tournament goal in program history.
- The Pios added five more goals in the second quarter to take a 10-1 lead at the break. Lauren Black scored the first of the frame, with Julia Gilbert and Bea Behrins tacking on two goals each.
- Kerry Gerety opened the second half with Vermont's second goal of the game, coming 1:40 into the third quarter. Denver countered with three goals to close out the quarter up 13-1.
- Senior Maris Large scored for the Catamounts in the fourth quarter. The UVM captain converted on a pass from Meghan O'Connor for her 11th goal of the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Despite the loss, Vermont caps off the 2022 season with a program-record 14 wins. The Class of 2022 finishes with 32 wins – the fourth-highest total in program history.
- Vasile and Halloran each had a team-high four shots. Mullen tallied three shots for the Catamounts
- Carolyn Carrera and Charlotte Nevins led the Vermont defense with two caused turnovers each.
- Sophie McLaughlin made 8 saves in goal for the Catamounts.