Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Denver moved to 4-0 for the first time since 2023 with 17-9 win over Vanderbilt on Sunday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee.
Denver led 4-2 after the opening quarter and used a decisive third period to seize control before closing strong in the final minutes.
Eva Thomsen-Marr opened the scoring at the 12:46 mark of the first quarter off an assist from Dineen and added a free-position goal to make it 2-0, and Keil's strong dodge pushed the lead to 3-0 with 5:51 left in the period. Vanderbilt responded with back-to-back goals, including a free-position strike, but Ripple converted on a free position with 1:52 remaining. A key defensive stand — highlighted by a big check by Megan Klingenberg on a Vanderbilt free-position attempt — preserved the 4-2 edge after one.
Keil sparked the Pioneers in the second quarter, ripping a shot from behind the 8-meter arc at 13:28 for a 5-2 lead. She completed her hat trick at 7:59 with a stinger to the upper right corner to make it 6-2. Vanderbilt chipped away with three of the next four goals, including a score with 55 seconds left to cut the deficit to 6-5. Keil answered with 23.1 seconds remaining in the half, striking again to send Denver into the break ahead 7-5.
The Commodores capitalized on a second-chance opportunity early in the third despite a massive stick save by Gwaku, trimming the lead to 7-6. Denver responded quickly. Ripple scored at 11:33, Keil added her fourth of the day at 9:50, and Thomsen-Marr completed her hat trick off a Dineen assist at 8:22 to stretch the margin to 10-6. Ripple's free-position goal at 6:24 made it 11-6. Vanderbilt scored twice late in the quarter to pull within 11-8 heading to the fourth.
After a quiet start to the final period, Mutch converted a free position at 6:41 to make it 12-8. Dineen followed with a fast-break goal off the clear, and Keil netted her sixth of the afternoon at 2:55. Vanderbilt added a late goal at 1:46, but Denver closed emphatically. Ripple, Thomsen-Marr and Keil scored three times in the final 90 seconds to secure the 17-9 win.
KEY PERFORMANCES:
- Caroline Keil recorded a career-high seven goals and Olivia Ripple and Eva Thomsen-Marr each added four.
- Ryan Dineen added a pair of assists.
- Olivia Ripple led with draw effort with five wins in the circle and Alex Dorr added four.
- Lexi Gwaku made eight saves between the pipes and added two ground balls.
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