via Ave Maria web site   AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University lacrosse team fell in their opening game of the 2018 season, losing 21-8 to NCAA Division II UC-Colorado Springs at Gyrene Field. The visiting Mountain Lions, who were also playing their first game of the season, were powered by a nearly 12-minute stretch where they outscored Ave Maria 14-1. UC-Colorado Springs jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the game, getting goals in the first 12 minutes from Melissa Reeves, Kiera Lowe, and Brianna Martinez. Ave Maria responded with four of the next five goals, tying the game at four with 12:37 left to play in the half. Katelyn Sherman scored twice in the span of 22 seconds, and Georgia Miller and Alexis Smich added tallies for the Gyrenes. The Mountain Lions closed the first half with ten consecutive goals, and took a 14-4 lead after the first 30 minutes. The ten goals came within a span of 6:22, and was led by two goals each from Madison Ellis, Melissa Reeves, and Brianna Martinez. Seven more goals were scored by the Mountain Lions in the second half, while the Gyrenes added four of their own. Vanessa Nelson and Reeves each scored twice in the second half, while four different Gyrenes supplied the second half goals to conclude the game’s scoring. Reeves was the leading scorer in the game, recording five goals and adding an assist for UCCS. Martinez led the Mountain Lions in points, scoring four times and assisting on three goals. Mallory Corrigan, Ellis, and Nelson each added multiple goals in the victory. For the Gyrenes, Miller, Smich and Sherman each scored twice, while Aiyanah Simms and Anneliese Sawick both scored a single goal. Smich and Sherman provided the only assists of the game for Ave Maria. The second game of the season comes in two weeks, when the Gyrenes travel to South Carolina for a pair of games. The opening game of the trip comes on March 2, as Ave Maria faces Columbia College. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.