GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  – It has been about two weeks since the Colorado Mesa women's lacrosse team (4-3, 3-0 RMAC) last played. The team however will get back into game mode, making their way to Pueblo Friday, to take on the Thunderwolves and maintain their unbeaten conference record.

LAST TIME OUT
Back on Apr. 3, the Mavericks found themselves down early against the Fort Lewis Skyhawks. The home team would open play with a 6-0 run, before Elizabeth Renken ended the drought in the 22^nd minute.
Renken's goal sparked a 10-0 run of their own to go up 10-6 at the end of the half.

The Mavericks then tacked on three more goals within the first few minutes of the second half to increase their lead to seven.
CMU put together nine goals in the second half, completing the comeback for the final 19-11 score.

Kiley Davis lead all scorers with five goals, while also grabbing a ground ball, causing a turnover and winning a draw control. Ashton Whittle put together six draw controls, three ground balls, two caused turnovers, to go along with a pair of goals.

Adelaine Charlsen notched her second straight win, bagging eight saves.

SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
The Thunderwolves out of CSU Pueblo are sitting at 3-4 on the season, with a 1-1 record in conference play.
They have teeter-tottered between wins and losses, most recently snapping a two-game skid with a 19-0 shutout of Adams State.
Senior, Emily Eller has 26 goals to her name thus far, putting together a string of five goal games and a season high six goals against Fort Lewis early on. Eller also has a team high 17 ground balls, 12- caused turnovers and 28-draw controls.
Senior, Ane Marie Horton has been the primary goalkeeper, bagging 89 saves, with a 2-3 record.

RMAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Snagging one first-place vote, Colorado Mesa brought in 29-total points and were predicted to finish second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll. The other six first-place votes available were awarded to Regis who were favored to win the conference.

Kenzie Blackwell and Ashton Whittle landed on the 'Players to Watch' list.
Blackwell, a senior attack out of Granite Bay, Calif. returns for the Mavericks after a shortened 2020 season. Before the pandemic shut down the season, Blackwell led the team in goals racking up 11 in four games. She also assisted on five others for 16-total points, and scooped up seven ground balls, while causing two turnovers.

Whittle returns for her junior season as another key contributor to the Mavs front line attack. She started all four games during the abbreviated 2020 season, and scored the third most goals on the team with six.
 
MCHALE AT THE HELM
This seasons Maverick women's lacrosse team is under new leadership, with head coach Shannon McHale taking over the reins back in June of 2020.  McHale came to Colorado Mesa after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach at perennial powerhouse Florida Southern. During her time with the Mocs, she helped the squad finish as the national runner-up, had six players earn IWLCA all-America honors, and won 18-straight games en route to the national title game.