In only its second home game of the year, the Grand Canyon University Women's Lacrosse team finished off its regular season schedule with a flurry, bombarding Utah Tech University, 17-5, Saturday afternoon at Colter Field on the GCU campus. It was the team's 9^th win of the season, which tied last year's national tournament team for the most wins in the program's Division 1 era. It also gave the Lopes some momentum heading to the Western Women's Lacrosse League Playoffs this coming weekend in Santa Cruz, California.
 
With a schedule that oddly featured 11 straight road games to begin the campaign, Lopes' Head Coach Tracy Ramirez scrambled to add a home game or two to the schedule that was released in December. Last week's home loss to Arizona State University was already on the calendar, but UTU stepped up a few weeks ago to help the Lopes' cause, as well as fortify their own schedule in only its third year of existence. The Division 2 Trailblazers (3-7 overall, 2-5 RMWLL) knew they'd come into the game as big underdogs, which might've been why they came out firing, with Elle Neville getting UTU on the scoreboard first just 90 seconds into the game. The Lopes used that as a wake-up call as Bree Caffey roared back with a pair of goals in the next 60 seconds of play to give GCU the lead for good. Layla Cates and Nicole Terry added goals within the next two minutes, and the Lopes rolled from there, limiting the Blazers to one goal over the middle quarters combined to take a commanding 12-3 lead into the final period.
 
Both Caffey and Paige DeVries posted three-goal "hat tricks' on the day, with Caffey and Shaylee Smith (two goals, three assists) earning five points each on the afternoon. Cates and Emma Adams also pitched in a pair of goals, while Lopes' goalie Tristen Mielke went the distance in net – posting an impressive save percentage of 68.4%.
 
The Lopes (9-4 overall, 2-3 WWLL) now focus on the 700-mile trek to northern California this weekend. The 6^th-seeded Lopes will open up postseason play Saturday (April 12) at 11AM against the 3^rd-seeded Aztecs of San Diego State University, who GCU upset in last year's tournament. Another Lopes' upset sends GCU to the semifinals Saturday afternoon against the 2^nd-seeded Sun Devils, while a loss against the Aztecs puts the Lopes in the consolation final Sunday morning. The Lopes are seeking their second straight trip to the WCLA D1 National Championships, which commence May 7 in Wichita, Kansas.