MILWAUKEE – The seventh-ranked scoring defense in the country dropped its scoring average on Friday, holding Marquette to just one goal in the second half to send the [19/RV] University of Denver women's lacrosse team to its ninth-straight win with a 16-6 victory over Marquette at Valley Fields.
 
Inside the Box Score:
Denver turned in an impressive afternoon in the draw circle, claiming 15 of the 24 draws in the contest. Molly Little and Abby Jenkins finished with six apiece. Little added two ground balls and a caused turnover to her afternoon. Sam Thacker was busy for Denver's defense, causing three turnovers, picking up two ground balls and winning two draws in the Pioneers victory.
 
After a slow start on the offensive end, Denver's attack exploded in the second half, with five student-athletes finishing with multiple goals on the afternoon. Eliza Radochonski led the Pioneers with four. Bea Behrins finished with a team-high five points on her fourth-straight hat trick and sixth of the season to go with two assists. Hannah Liddy had three points on two goals and a helper, while Julia Gilbert and Mackenzie Wallevand rounded out Denver's multi-goal scorers with two apiece. Kailey Conry quarterbacked the Denver offense with three assists.
 
Kailee Lammers led the Pioneers with three ground balls on Friday and Amelia Cole made seven saves in the win against six goals allowed.
 
First Half:
The opening 30 minutes was a game of mini-runs. Denver raced out to an early 2-0 lead in the first 6:56 of the contest with goals from Ellie Curry and Gilbert. The Golden Eagles answered Denver's run with three-straight to make it 3-2 Marquette at the midway point of the first half.
 
The Pioneers responded with the next two, goals from Kayla DeRose and Radochonski, to make it 4-3 with under five minutes to play in the half. Marquette found the back of the net for two of the final three tallies in the final 4:47, goals sandwiched around Wallevand's seventh goal of the season off Conry's second assist of the half.
 
Second Half:
Denver's defense held Marquette without a goal in the first 26:17 of the second half to lead the Pioneers to an 11-0 run during that span and break the game wide open in the second 30 minutes. Liddy opened the second half scoring with her 12^th of the season. Wallevand from Behrins made it 7-5. Radochonski scored Denver's first of three woman-up goals in the second half to make it 8-5, 5:30 into the second half.
 
The Pioneers got three more goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half when Gilbert found the back of the net and Radochonski completed her second-half hat trick with consecutive goals less than six minutes apart.
 
Behrins' recorded a natural hat trick in a span of 3:35, her first three goals of the game, to stretch the Denver lead to 14-5 with 10:24 to play. Sara Palmisano scored her second goal in as many games to make it 15-5 and Liddy scored her second and the Pioneers 16^th of the afternoon to end Denver's scoring in the series opener.
 
Up Next: Denver and Marquette will play game two of the series Sunday at 12 p.m. MT at Valley Fields.
 
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.

DONATE: 
Fans interested in making a donation to the women's lacrosse program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.

-5280 TOGETHER–
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of Denver's NCAA Division I sports.
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Women's Lacrosse on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_WLAX on Twitter
Follow @denverpioneers and @DU_WLAX on Instagram