DENVER – Sophomore Ali Flury (Arnold, Md.) posted five goals, including four in the second half, as the No. 16 Pioneers defeated the Duquesne Dukes 14-11 at Barton Stadium on Tuesday evening.

"I thought we came out strong in the second half after a poor shooting performance in the first half," said head coach Liza Kelly. "But we are happy to come away with the win."

Denver (2-2) started strong, scoring on three free shots in the first ten minutes. Juniors Steph Coyne (Baltimore, Md.) and Karen Morton (Adelaide, Australia) scored the first two goals for Denver, and freshman Carrie Gamper (Towson, Md.) followed with her first career goal.

Duquesne (0-4) gained momentum, scoring five unanswered goals before the half. Meghan Frederick, Kathleen McNish, and Shannon Hadaway each accounted for one goal, while Sarah Cates notched two to set the Dukes ahead 5-3 at the break.

Lexi Sanders (Greenwood Village, Colo.) and Gamper each scored quick goals to start the second half, tying the score at five.

Duquesne's Janna Faulkner answered with a goal two minutes later, but was soon followed by a pair from Megan Carver (Baltimore, Md.) and Flury to give the Pioneers a one goal lead.

After the Dukes tied the score again, Cates scored on a free position shot with an empty net, giving Duquesne the 8-7 lead.

The Pioneers went on a five-goal scoring streak – Coyne and Carver each scored one, and Flury scored three - to take their largest lead of the night at 12-8.

Flury and Morton each scored one more, and Duquesne added three more goals to finalize the 14-11 win for Denver.

Goalkeepers Becky Childs (Phoenix, Md.) and Gold split halves in the game. Childs had two saves in the first and Gold had seven in the second. Duquesne goalkeeper Caitlin Carducci had 12 saves.

The Pioneers continue their home stretch Sunday against No. 10 Georgetown. Denver will take on the Hoyas at Barton Stadium at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Ritchie Center Box Office and through Ticketmaster.

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DENVER - The Duquesne lacrosse team lost a hard-fought contest at #16 Denver Tuesday afternoon, 14-11. This game concludes their two-game road trip which began Sunday afternoon with a 21-18 loss to Stony Brook.

Sarah Cates and Janna Faulkner each scored a hat trick and Caitlin Carducci made 12 saves for Duquesne who fell to 0-4 on the season.

Ali Flury had a game-high five goals, all scored in the second half, for Denver.

Denver got an early 3-0 lead before the Duquesne defense clamped down on the high-scoring Pioneers holding them scoreless for the next 21 minutes. Sarah Cates led an offensive charge, scoring two of five straight Duquesne goals to take a 5-3 lead into halftime.

A pair of early Denver second half goals tied the contest at 5-5 before Janna Faulkner's score regained the lead for Duquesne. The Dukes' advantage would only last 14 seconds as the Pioneers' Megan Carver evened the score off a pass from Megan Tyrie.

Denver would regain the lead after Fleury's first goal of the match. Duquesne responded with back-to-back goals from Ashley Wood and Sarah Cates to take an 8-7 advantage.

The Pioneers would go on to score the next five goals, including the game-winner from Carver with 9:02 left, to put Denver up 12-8.

Duquesne would score three more times, but could not catch the Pioneers as Faulkner's goal with 1:22 left closed out the scoring with Denver taking the 14-11 victory.

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2008-02-26