DENVER, CO-  Villanova women's lacrosse finished their regular season play with a 7-17 loss against No.23 Denver. 

Sydney Pappas lead the team with two goals, while Leslie Iorio had one goal, two assists and one draw control. In the net, Cate Gallagher had 6 saves and two caused turnovers. Emma Verhoest tallied eight draw controls.

In the first quarter, the Wildcats had 7 draw controls, keeping Denver to only one. The Pioneers opened the game with four goals before Ashlyn Hickey put one on the board for the 'Cats, scoring off of a free position. Jillian Vaught then helped Iorio find the back of the net, making the score 5-2 going into the second quarter.


The Pioneers defense was able to keep the Wildcats out of the net for the entirety of the quarter, putting up four more goals.


In the third quarter with 7:57 on the clock, Vaught ripped the ball to the back of the net, with Madison Freeman getting the helper. The 'Cats go on to score three goals in a row. Pappas is first to net the ball with Iorio's assistance. Elena Torres scores off a free positions. Iorio helps Pappas once more with nice seconds left on the clock, making the score 6-12 going into the fourth.

At the start of the fourth, Denver score 4 goals in a row. Sami Carey was able to net the ball with the help of defender Maddy Stoddard, putting the final score at 7-17.


Villanova finished the season 10-6, 4-2 BE. The team is seeded second going into the BIG EAST tournament. They will play UConn at 4pm in the Semifinals at the Villanova Stadium. 

For all of the latest updates surrounding the program, follow Villanova women's lacrosse on X, formally known as Twitter and Instagram @NovaWLax.