The gig is up.
Three timely wins helped catapult the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team (6-10, 4-4 A-10) into the Atlantic 10 semi-finals, before it fell to four-time defending A-10 Champion Temple 13-9 Friday in Corning, N.Y.
The Minutewomen had faced must-win situations since April 23, but earned a postseason bid by going 3-0 against A-10 opponents during that stretch.
The Owls (11-7) played in the finals Saturday, and defeated top-seeded Duquesne (14-4), 12-11 in overtime. Temple freshman Allison Frengs scored five goals in the title game, including the game-winner 2:27 into the first OT.
In the semifinals, UMass held Frengs to a hat-trick but could do little to contain Tiffany Pulaski, who notched a game-high six points on five goals and one assist. Pulaski split her weekend’s 10 goals evenly between UMass and Duquesne, a feat which earned the Duke senior the 2004 A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player award.
Due to stellar performances on defense and a combined seven ground balls, Massachusetts junior defender Kristin St. Hilaire and sophomore midfielder Jackie Nesbitt earned a spot on the 2004 Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team. St. Hilaire also earned the honor of A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and a spot on the 2004 All-Conference team, where she was joined by teammates Tracey Drown and Hope Zelinger.
Zelinger recorded an assist during the semi-finals but failed to tally a goal. Despite a scoreless postseason, Zelinger moved up to third all-time at UMass in single season goals, with 45 during her senior campaign. Drown led Massachusetts with three goals on two free position scores against Temple, but could not lead the Minutewomen to victory, as she had during the Maroon and White unbeaten streak that ended the regular season. During the three-game span Drown tallied a team-high 15 goals.
The Minutewomen looked solid to start Friday’s game, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the first three minutes, thanks to goals from Emma Butcher and Brianna Bubeck. Butcher found the cage after receiving a pass from Lindsay Cassell, and Bubeck scored on a free position shot. The lead was short lived, because Pulaski would score the next three goals.
Cassell narrowed the gap to one with an unassisted tally at 12:01, before Corey Leader of Temple recorded the first of her four goals at 8:35. The next three scores would come from Massachusetts, as Drown netted a pair of free position attempts turned goals, and Butcher capitalized on a pass from Kerri Connerty.
Butcher doubled her career goals on Friday, as the senior goalkeeper-turned-attacker received substantial playing time for the second consecutive game. Butcher’s goal proved to be the last of the half, as the teams engaged in a three-minute stalemate that locked the score at 6-5 in favor of UMass.
During the second frame Temple opened the floodgates, outscoring Massachusetts 8-3 to seal the victory. Maura McGarrity tacked on a point to the halftime lead to give UMass a 7-5 advantage, but the Owls went on a six-goal tear that gave Temple an insurmountable 11-7 lead. During the Temple run, Leader and Frengs each netted pairs of scores. UMass recorded two more goals, one from Drown and one from Connerty, but that was all the Maroon and White could muster, as it fell to Temple for the second time this season.
Redshirt freshman Lauren McCarthy made seven saves on 31 shots in the Massachusetts goal, while her counterpart, Megan McLouth, recorded 15 saves on 33 shots between the pipes for Temple.
The loss drops UMass to 3-22-1 all-time against Temple.
