GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After finally getting a chance to play somebody other than each other last weekend and measuring themselves against a top-10 national opponent, Colorado Mesa women's lacrosse will remain at home for three games, including a pair to open up the conference schedule.

The Mavericks will kick off their 2023 RMAC slate against Fort Lewis on Friday at 4 p.m., then will welcome CSU Pueblo to Community Hospital Unity Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday. On Tuesday, CMU will renew acquaintances with ex-RMAC foe Rockhurst in the final tune-up before the Mavs play three nationally ranked teams on the road in five days from March 21-25.

Looking Back
Colorado Mesa got the season underway by welcoming No. 10 Grand Valley State to Grand Junction. The Mavericks battled and received five points from last season's leading scorer Kiley Davis but ultimately fell to the Lakers, 13-8.

RECAP: Grand Valley State

Davis scored four goals, one in each quarter, to account for half of CMU's total output on her own. Ali Bryant had a goal and two assists to finish as CMU's other multi-point scorer in her first game action since earning RMAC Midfielder of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors last season. Juniors Peyton Ivey, Elizabeth Renken and Taylor Jakeman also found the net for CMU.

Protect the CHUF
Community Hospital Unity Field (also known as the CHUF) has been a tough place to play for opponents. With the win on Friday, Grand Valley State became the first non-RMAC school to defeat Colorado Mesa at home since Albright College in 2014. Previously, only two schools had beaten the Mavs in Grand Junction during that time frame – Regis and Lindenwood, which have combined to win all eight RMAC regular season titles and RMAC Tournament titles in the history of the conference (Lindenwood has since moved up to NCAA Division I).

The Mavericks are 6-0 all-time at home against both CSU Pueblo and Rockhurst and have won six consecutive home games against Fort Lewis.

Aside from the RMAC's past and present powers, it's unheard of that an opponent the caliber of Grand Valley State has made the trek out to Grand Junction. The only other ranked opponent that the Mavericks have faced in a home nonconference game was also Grand Valley State, which entered ranked No. 15 in 2019. The Mavericks won that matchup, 14-11.

Up For a Challenge
After the rare top-25 home matchup to begin the season, Colorado Mesa faces several stiff road tests in the upcoming weeks.

The Mavericks have scheduled aggressively this season. Including Grand Valley State, four of CMU's five nonconference matchups are against opponents that are currently ranked, in addition to the two scheduled matches against No. 7 Regis during RMAC play.

CMU begins the season with four straight home games but then has seven of its next eight on the road. That eight-game stretch starts with four of the first five opponents ranked in the nation's top 20.

Dream Debuts
Freshman midfielder Sophie Astone, a Littleton, Colorado native, managed to earn a mention on the scoresheet in her very first collegiate game, feeding Ali Bryant for a goal to earn an assist with 5:20 remaining in the game.

Several other freshmen got in the season-opening game, including Olivia Turk and Justine Anderson, who were both in the starting lineup. Anderson had two shots, including a shot on goal. Courtney Havel made an impact off the bench with two shots, a shot on goal, a ground ball and a caused turnover. Carson Dickey and Cameron Flynn also saw action, with Flynn collecting a ground ball.

In the Polls
Despite opening its season with a loss, Colorado Mesa stood pat at No. 24 overall in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division II Poll. RMAC rival Regis is ranked No. 7 overall after beginning the season 4-0, including a win over now-No. 11 Grand Valley State.

The Mavericks were unsurprisingly picked second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 20 points and one first place vote.  Only Regis, which garnered the other five first place votes, was picked ahead of the Mavs.  The Rangers had 25 points.  UCCS (18), Fort Lewis (11), Westminster (11) and CSU Pueblo (5) were picked behind the Mavericks in the now 6-team RMAC following the discontinuation of the sport by Adams State.

About Fort Lewis
The Fort Lewis Skyhawks have lost their first two games of the season, 11-6 to Bates College and 11-7 to Lewis University. Fort Lewis will also be opening its RMAC season with the match against CMU. Aside from their RMAC contests, the Skyhawks are also scheduled to play Rockhurst and have scheduled games against Division I institutions Arizona, Arizona State and Grand Canyon.

The all-time series between Colorado Mesa and Fort Lewis has been streaky, to say the least. From the inception of CMU women's lacrosse in 2011 through 2015, Fort Lewis won the first 11 meetings between the teams.

On March 6, 2016, Colorado Mesa defeated FLC for the first time by an 8-6 score and the Mavs have been unstoppable since. CMU has won the past nine matchups, scoring 15 or more goals in six of the last seven. Should the Mavericks win both games against Fort Lewis this season, they would even up the all-time series at 11-11.

Junior attacker Haley Dostie leads the Skyhawks with five goals, notching a hat trick in the season opener against Bates. Junior midfielder Ellie Martinez has three goals and shares the team lead with Dostie with nine shots. Redshirt freshman Valerie Garcia has chipped in two assists. Veteran goalie Averi Basso has made 23 saves against 22 goals conceded in FLC's first two games.

Two of Fort Lewis's 13 team goals have come from a woman down, making the Skyhawks the only RMAC team to have scored shorthanded so far in 2023. Fort Lewis is finding the frame on 72.2 percent of its shots and finding the net on 36.1 percent.

About CSU Pueblo
The CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves will start their season against Lewis on Wednesday and will face Westminster on the road Friday before traveling to CMU on Sunday. Last season, Pueblo finished 3-13 overall and 3-9 in the RMAC and the team loses two of its top three scorers from last season. Senior midfielder Caira Lessick does return after finishing second on last year's squad with 25 goals and 33 points.

The ThunderWolves struggled mightily against Colorado Mesa last season, losing 21-1 in Grand Junction and 18-4 in Pueblo. New interim head coach Taylor Christensen, a former 100-goal scorer with the program, has been in charge since December 2022. The ThunderWolves are a young team this year, with seven rostered freshmen and just three seniors. Colorado Mesa has never lost to CSU Pueblo, going a perfect 13-0 all-time against CSUP.

About Rockhurst
The Rockhurst Hawks are a strong 3-1 to open this season, only coming up short against then-No. 8 Regis. The Hawks have defeated Concordia-St. Paul, McKendree and UCCS.

Rockhurst will play five of the six RMAC women's lacrosse programs over the course of the season. After losing 17-9 to Regis, the Hawks beat UCCS 18-7 three days later. Rockhurst's Tuesday game with CMU will kick off a three-game Colorado road trip for the Hawks, who will play CSU Pueblo the following Thursday and Fort Lewis the following Saturday in a neutral-site game at Pueblo.

Senior attacker Dani Mabry is pacing Rockhurst with 12 goals and five assists. She has especially balled out against RMAC competition, scoring three goals and two assists against Regis and five goals and an assist in the win over UCCS. Logan Derosia is another veteran attacker with nine goals on the season while sophomore Reagan Danner had a hat trick against UCCS to double her season total to six.

The Hawks have rotated goaltenders this season, with senior Sydney Shindler getting all four starts but allowing 18 goals against 12 saves. Madeline Morrison has seen time in all four games this year and allowing 17 goals while stopping 18 shots.

Colorado Mesa has won all 10 career games against Rockhurst, a total including six conference wins from when Rockhurst was an RMAC lacrosse member from 2015-2019. The most recent game, which was the first time the two teams faced one another since Rockhurst left the conference, was the closest yet. Rockhurst led 12-10 with two minutes to go, but goals from Melanie Evans and Kenzie Blackwell tied it before Evans assisted on Nici Boutwell's game-winning overtime goal.