One would think that a team having its best start since 1982 would be clicking on all cylinders. But the No. 18 Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team isn’t mulling over its 7-0 start to the 2012 campaign.
Despite the strong start and the national recognition, there are still places the team can build especially with a trip to No.1 Northwestern on Saturday.
“[We need to focus on] cleaning up our turnovers,” said UMass coach Angela McMahon. “We also need to look at our defense, playing a team defense. I feel like we had a lot of defensive breakdowns in the second half and got away from our game plan. I think that is going to be crucial because of how Northwestern pressures the ball.”
The No. 1 Wildcats (6-0) have been dominant when pressuring their opponents into making mistakes. Over their first six games, they have forced 104 turnovers while only losing the ball 77 times themselves.
On the other side, the Minutewomen have collected 127 turnovers, but have been plagued by carelessness as of late, losing 14 possessions to turnovers against American and 23 to Vermont.
Every opportunity lost will be a blow for UMass when it takes on Northwestern. The Wildcats are second-best in the nation when it comes to defending their cage, having allowed six goals a game.
“It’s nice to have momentum going into this game,” said McMahon in an interview with UMassAthletics.com following the 19-11 win over American. “But we can’t play like we did today and expect to win on Saturday.”
The Minutewomen have also struggled to keep their fouling down through their initial seven-game win streak. With 136 fouls on the season, UMass has committed 38 more fouls than its opponents, which have committed 98 infractions.
Northwestern has also maintained a high foul count (137), but have not outdone its opponents like the Minutewomen have. The Wildcats’ opposition has committed 169 fouls. Fouls and turnovers could tell the story on Saturday. In last season’s matchup at McGuirk Stadium, Northwestern left with a 17-7 victory, with nine goals coming off either a foul or a turnover. In the sides’ 2010 matchup on a neutral site, 11 of the Wildcats’ 18 goals came following fouls or turnovers. In that game, the Minutewomen committed 34 fouls and fell 18-6.
Coaches return to alma mater
The Saturday match-up with the Wildcats will mark the return of UMass coaches Angela McMahon and Sarah Albrecht to Northwestern, where the two were teammates.
McMahon, a 2004 graduate, was a captain of a Wildcats team that made it to the NCAA quarterfinals, but was outdone by her associate head coach, Albrecht, who led the team to an NCAA championship in 2005, also as a captain.
McMahon played for the Minutewomen before leaving for Northwestern, a team that, at the time, had recently reclaimed varsity status. Now it has become a powerhouse in the collegiate lacrosse game.
McMahon is looking forward to the occasion, but won’t let the moment take any of her attention away from the task at hand.
“I’m really excited, seeing some old teammates and everything,” said McMahon. “But we’re treating this as a business trip. It’s a game and it is an opportunity to showcase our talent and where we stand against the nation’s top team.”
The battle of the unbeaten teams takes place at 1 p.m. in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday.
Jeffrey Okerman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Okerman.
