The No. 17 Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team wrapped up its non-conference schedule last Saturday in convincing fashion with a 19-6 win over Siena. The Minutewomen now move into conference play where they will seek to defend their four consecutive Atlantic 10 titles.

The Minutewomen (9-1) played a total of 10 games in its non-conference schedule and won nine of them.

UMass sported a perfect 7-0 home record over this stretch, and knocked off Bay State rival Boston University, 13-11, during that time.

The rest of the home schedule went smoothly for the Minutewomen as they defeated all six of their other opponents by at least eight goals, including five double-digit wins.

The three away games were harder tests for UMass. In its first away game of the season, the Minutewomen won a defensive battle at Vermont, 9-8.

The other two road games were at Northwestern and Albany –  rematches of the only two regular season losses UMass suffered last year.

The Minutewomen were not ready to take on the nation’s best team as they struggled to stop No. 1 Northwestern from scoring. The Wildcats handed UMass its only loss this season, a 19-7 blowout.

The Minutewomen responded well to their first defeat, with a thrilling overtime win at No. 13 Albany, 12-11.

After winning four consecutive A-10 titles, UMass was picked in the preseason to finish first once again.

Conference play kicks off with a pair of away games against Richmond and George Washington this weekend.

Heading into conference play UMass remains the favorite to win the A-10 and represent the conference in the NCAA tournament.

The Minutewomen have one of the most potent offenses in the league, as they lead in goals per game, assists and points.

On the defensive end, UMass leads the conference in forced turnovers and it stands in second behind GW in goals against average.

Last year the Minutewomen went 7-0 in conference play and they hope to repeat that success this season.

Ferris on fire

This week, sophomore attacker Katie Ferris was rewarded for her recent success, as she was named the Atlantic 10 lacrosse player of the week.

She was given this award for her play in UMass wins over Albany and Siena.

In the two games, Ferris scored seven goals and added seven assists for a 14-point total over the span of just two games.

Against Albany, she notched three goals and three assists. Her three assists all came in the second half at crucial points in the game. The first two set up game tying goals, while the third led to the game-winner in overtime.

Ferris has scored 32 goals along with 24 assists for a total of 56 points in 10 games.

Those 56 points put her in first place nationally, as she holds a sizable six-point lead over Alayna Markwordt.

She is two goals behind her goal total through 10 games last season, but her number of assists is up dramatically. Her 24 assists are eight more then she had all of last season.

Ferris’ 32 goals currently have her in a tie for eight nationally, five behind the nations top goal scorer, sophomore Abbey Friend, from North Carolina.

Her 24 assists put her in a tie for ninth nationally and six behind the nation’s top assister, Sarah Allen from Quinnipiac.

Cameron McDonough can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_McDonough.