DENVER, Colo. — The High Point University women's lacrosse team capped its spring break with a game at 19th-ranked University of Denver as the Panthers fell on Sunday afternoon, 18-6.

SITE: Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium
SCORE: High Point 6, #19 Denver 18
RECORDS: High Point (0-4), Denver (5-0)

Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell: "Denver is a very good team, and they gave us a lot to handle today. Our draw unit was not at their best, and we didn't make the most of the possessions we had. I'm proud of Ava [Welsh] in the cage; she made some huge stops, but at the end of the day, our defense saw too many possessions. Always excited to learn and grow, so we will get back to work and be ready for Thursday."

First DU possession = Welsh save ??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/rbXsvMwBa5

— HPU Women's Lacrosse (@hpuwlax) March 1, 2026

 
The Pioneers tested Ava Welsh early and often as the HPU goalie had six of her 15 saves in the first quarter. The junior faced 43 shots — with 27 of those coming in the first half — while she caused a turnover and had a ground ball.

3??6?? scores first for the Purple & White for the third straight ??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/bd4epjPta0

— HPU Women's Lacrosse (@hpuwlax) March 1, 2026

For the third straight game, Kate Prentice scored first for the Purple & White and netted another two-goal game. Prentice's first-quarter goal was the only first-half score for the Panthers as they weren't able to maintain possession and trailed, 11-1, after 30 minutes of play.

Shannon Smith scored to open the third quarter followed by a defensive stop, but Denver answered with four straight goals to extend the lead. The senior Smith led all High Point scorers with a second-half hat trick as her second goal scored signified her 100th career goal while she dished out an assist for a four-point game.

Smith scores back-to-back goals ??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/FMHQ60381E

— HPU Women's Lacrosse (@hpuwlax) March 1, 2026

Reese Dowgiallo scored and assisted Smith's milestone goal, and then Lily Trout and Laney Schmith recorded assists as well. The Panthers scored four of the final seven goals with scores from Dowgiallo, Prentice and back-to-back scores from Smith. Gracie Vickery won three draw controls. 

Off the bench, Jaidyn Donley was a burst as she had two caused turnovers, two ground ball pickups and an assist. Caitlyn Baehr picked up a team-high four ground balls as Julia Dustin joined Donley with two caused turnovers.

Up Next: The Panthers return to the Triad for a in-state rival game at Elon on Thursday, beginning at 5 p.m.