It was a high scoring affair for women's lacrosse's opening matchup against Fort Lewis College (FLC) Saturday afternoon. After being knotted up nine goals apiece at the half, the Mavericks were able to put up another eight in the second to win the game 17-16 led by seven goals from Olivia Hayden.
 
Colorado Mesa University fell behind 4-0 early in the game as the Skyhawks were the clear aggressor in the opening five minutes. CMU's offense found its stride however and they were able to climb back into the game and tie it up at 7-7 with 8:31 to play in the half. FLC would score another two in a row before the Mavericks answered with two of their own to tie it up at 9-9 entering the halftime.
 
The Mavericks opened up the second half with the first score to give them their first lead of the afternoon. However, they were not done there as they went on to put up four unanswered to take a 13-9 lead with 19:25 to play. FLC wasn't going to go away though, and they pulled to within one on two separate occasions in the half but couldn't pull the game to a tie.
 
Hayden and Lindsi Peters were the Mavericks offensive gurus on the day, finishing with a combined 12 goals on 15 shots. Meanwhile, Amanda Geary finished with a game-high four assists on the day.
 
As for the Skyhawks, Kelli Warmouth finished beat out Hayden's seven goals and finished with eight when the final whistle sounded.
 
Lula Mitchell was in goal for CMU and she finished with five saves on 16 goals allowed, earning her first win of the season.
 
Both teams were riding each other hot in more than just one category. CMU finished with one more shot than FLC (30-29), one more successful clear (12-11) and one more free-position shot taken (10-9).
 
With the win, the Mavericks open the season 1-0. They will now go on the road for their next five contests before returning home on March 25. Adams State will be their next opponent next Saturday.