No doubt, it has been a demanding start to the season for the Colorado women’s lacrosse team. So far, though, it hasn’t been a successful one.

Playing their fifth ranked foe in as many games to start the season, the Buffaloes suffered a 12-7 defeat against No. 5 Michigan on Saturday at Kittredge Field. CU was coming off its first win of the season against then-No. 25 Army last week, but Saturday’s setback dropped the Buffs to 1-4 on the season.

It also was CU’s fifth consecutive loss against the Wolverines, who improved to 5-2 after arriving in Boulder on the heels of a loss on Wednesday at Denver.

The Buffs put together a solid start, jumping to a 2-0 lead early in the second quarter on goals by Kendall Havill and Teagan Ryan. CU led 3-1 at halftime and 5-3 early in the third quarter when the tide suddenly turned.

Michigan reeled off the next seven goals while holding CU scoreless for more than 23 minutes. The overall shots were even at 33-33, though Michigan posted a 22-20 edge in shots on goal. Freshman Elena Oh started at goalkeeper for the Buffs and finished with 10 saves.

Morgan Pence scored three goals for the Buffs, while Michigan received five goals from leading scorer Jill Smith.

“We just [have] to do a better job making plays,” CU head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said in a release. “We had some scenarios where I felt like we were in the right position. We have to find a way to make some more stops individually and, in some of these moments, find a way to compete better.”

The Buffs continue their homestand on Tuesday against Marquette (1 p.m., ESPN+).