COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- In a game of runs, No. 15 Denver got the last shot en route to a 17-13 win over Cornell on Wednesday afternoon in a game played at the University Maryland's Lacrosse and Field Hockey Complex. The Pioneers scored the final four goals to cap off a rally from 9-4 down in the first half, scoring 12 times after the break to pick up the victory.

Junior Courtney Farrell was one off her own school record with five assists, including four in the first half, while sophomore Jessica Wiegand had three goals and an assist. Senior Lindsey Moore recorded two goals and two assists, while juniors Noelle Dowd and Katherine Simmons and senior Margaux Viola each had a pair of scores. Defensively, senior Ashleigh Smith was again strong in the back with two ground balls and a draw control as the home team on the scoreboard caused 12 Denver turnovers. Senior Mary Montague (11 goals, five saves) and Renee Hughes (six goals, three saves) split time in goal in the loss.

Denver, which entered the game averaging better than 15 goals per game, got a six-point effort out of Kristie Leggio (two goals, five assists) and a six-point night from Ali Flurry (four goals, two assists). Megan Carver and Steph Coyne each had three goals in the win for Denver. Goalkeepers Becky Cholds (eight goals, three saves) and Katie Gold (five goals, two saves) saw time in the net for the Pioneers.

Denver held a decisive 36-25 edge in shots in large part due to a 20-9 lead after halftime. Cornell held a 17-15 edge in draws, but those numbers were nearly reversed in each half. The Big Red captured 11-of-15 starts in the first 30 minutes, while Denver was in on 11-of-17 after the break. Denver also held a substantial edge in free-position goals (4-of-5 to 1-of-1).

Denver got out first, scoring three times in the first 3:13 before Cornell could settle in. Once it did, the Big Red dominated the rest of the half, outscoring the Pioneers 9-2 over the final 22:35. The Big Red answered Denver's run with a 4-0 burst of its own to take the lead on Viola's first goal since the opener with 13:48 to play in the half. After the Pioneers tied the score a minute later, the Big Red responded with five straight goals, including four that Farrell assisted on. Five different players scored during the run. Denver scored with just 1:05 left in the half to narrow the edge to 9-5 going into the locker room.

After the teams traded goals to open the second half, Denver answered a Big Red score 19 seconds later to spearhead a 7-1 run that included three straight scores by Flurry after being held off the board for the first 36:58. The last of her three goals gave Denver its first lead since the midway through the first at 12-11. A Leggio free-position score made it 13011 with 14:17 left. Cornell countered with goals by Moore and Simmons to knot the score at 13-13 with 10:39 left, but Denver finished up strong. Leggio earned the game-winner less than a minte later, then assisted on two more goals as the Pioneers scored three times in 2:25 to pull away after the Big Red had tied the game.

The Big Red will return to action on Saturday, March 24, at 1:00 p.m., when it meets No. 16 Penn at Franklin Field in a key Ivy League contest.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Senior midfielder Kristie Leggio (Bay Shore, N.Y.) tied her own school record with five assists and added a pair of goals on Wednesday, as the No. 15 DU women’s lacrosse team rallied late to beat Cornell, 17-13.

The game was tied with less than 10 minutes remaining, but Denver (8-1) closed out the contest with a 4-0 run.

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2007-03-21