Women's Lacrosse Season Wrap-Up
May 5, 2017
Season Stats Game-By-Game Stats
DUBUQUE, Iowa- For the third straight season, the University of Dubuque women’s lacrosse team finished with a winning record, finishing the first season under head coach Sarah Decker with a 9-8 (2-4 CCIW) record.
Abigail Tates and Robyn Wittkopf were the only two Spartans to pick up post season honors. They both earned second team All-CCIW for their performances throughout the 2017 season.
Robyn Wittkopf, a senior from Pewaukee, Wisconsin played in all 17 games and started 16 of those. She totaled 65 points, the most on team this season and the second best single season total in UD history. Those 65 points came on 48 goals and a team high 17 assists. Wittkopf was also a force at draw controls, winning a team high 60 draw controls on the year and finished her career with 181, good enough for second in school history. She ends her UD career second in career goals with 112, first in career assists and second in career points with 164, one point behind the leader.
Abigail Taets, a senior from Waukee, Iowa, earned second team All-CCIW honors for her effort on the defensive end in the 2017 season. Throughout the season, Taets collected eight groundballs, three draw controls and nine caused turnovers. Taets was a mainstay in the Spartans defense over the last three seasons.
The Spartans lose eight seniors in total, Taets, Wittkopf, Alora Esparza, Jessi Tapia, Ashyln Ptasienski, Itzel Rivera, Brooke Crossen and Kyra Nelson. Those eight combined for 115 games played, 106 starts, 54% of goals and 58.8% of assists in the 2017 season.
Alora Esparza capped of her UD career leading the team in ground balls with 69, putting her first all time in UD history with 180 in her career. Robyn Wittkopf is second on that career list with 146 and Breaan Tjaarda ended the season with 141 in her career for third all-time but will have a chance to add to that total next season.
Despite coming down with a season ending injury 11 games into the season, Jessi Tapia became the all-time UD leader in career starts with 57.
Even with all the upperclassman, it was freshman standout, Claire Carlson who led the Spartans in goals this season. Carlson amassed 53 goals and six assists in the 2017 campiagn. Her 53 goals are the second most goals in a single season in UD history.
The Spartans started off the season winning four straight games, the first time in school history that the women’s lacrosse program has begun a season 4-0. In those four games they won by a combined score of 59-15. On April 5th, UD beat crosstown rival, Loras College 11-8, for the third straight season behind seven Robyn Wittkopf goals. The Spartans clinched their third straight winning season on the last day of the regular season with an 11-8 win at Elmhurst to finish the season on a high note.
