DURHAM, N.C. - University of Denver women's lacrosse senior midfielder Lexi Sanders (Greenwood Village, Colo.) recorded a hat trick and sophomore midfielder Lauren Ciccomascolo (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) had three assists, but the Pioneers were defeated 16-6 by No. 5 Duke on Friday afternoon.

After Duke (1-0) scored an early goal, sophomore defender Melissa Maier (Farmingdale, N.Y.) evened up the score for the Pioneers (1-1, 1-0 MPSF) off a pass from Ciccomascolo at the 24:55 mark in the first half.

The Blue Devils responded with three-straight goals before Sanders scored her first goal of the game with 15:36 remaining in the first half.

Duke ended he half on a 5-1 run, broken only by a goal from freshman midfielder Kirsty Faulder (Glengowrie, South Australia).

Sanders opened the second half with a free position goal less than three minutes after the break.

Following a pair of Duke goals, senior midfielder Ali Flury (Arnold, Md.) scored at the 23:33 mark to extend her streak to 53 consecutive games with a point, the second-longest such streak in the nation.

Sanders scored DU's final goal on another free position shot at 7:58, but Duke finished the contest on a 5-1 run.

The Pioneers conclude their road trip at North Carolina on Sun., Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. MT.