DENVER, Colo. – Against one of the top teams in the nation, Fairfield University women's lacrosse put up a strong fight for 60 minutes, but it wasn't enough as the Stags were outlasted by No. 9 Denver, 15-10 Wednesday afternoon. Rylee Harrell paced the offense with six goals and one assist on the day.

"I thought we came out strong to open the game," said Head Coach Laura Field. "Casey made some big saves to keep us in it, but we needed to play better in the second half, particularly in that third quarter."

Harrell's six goals led a group of four Stags that reached the back of the net against the Pioneers, with co-captain Kelly Horning scoring a pair of goals to join Harrell as the only multi-goal scorers for Fairfield. Elizabeth Talluto and Olivia Doody each scored as well, and Ellie Grefenstette provided a single assist.

Defensively, the Stags were led by Horning and Nicollette LaVista who tallied four draw controls apiece, and co-captain Caroline Mangan who collected three ground balls. Lindsay Barnes forced two of the Pioneers' six turnovers in the game, and in the cage, Casey Collins stopped eight shots, holding Denver to just one goal in the opening quarter.

While the home side was held to that single score, the Stags would strike early scoring the first three goals of the game, including a pair for Harrell to put Fairfield up a pair after the opening quarter.

Harrell needed just 42 seconds of the second frame to complete her hattrick, sparking a run that saw the two sides combine for six goals in the first five minutes of the quarter to leave the Stags up 6-4. After Denver scored back-to-back goals to level the score, Harrell would score from free position with Fairfield up a player to regain the lead, but the Pioneers netted two goals late to send the sides in the locker room with Stags trailing by one.

Denver took control of the third quarter early scoring four of the first five goals, before both sides were held off the board for nearly ten minutes, until another late score by the Pioneers put Fairfield down five heading into the fourth quarter.

The Stags would strike first in the final frame, another goal with a player-up advantage, but the two teams would trade a pair of goals in the period to set the final differential at five goals, as Fairfield puts up another strong fight against a nationally ranked opponent.

Fairfield women's lacrosse is back in action Saturday when the Stags return home to host crosstown foe Sacred Heart. Opening draw is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. as the latter game of a Stags' lacrosse doubleheader from Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium, with the men's lacrosse team hosting Providence earlier in the day at 1:00 p.m.