While a win is a win, a 19-4 result is especially a win.
But something continues to trouble the No. 10 Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team coach Angela McMahon – mental mistakes.
The Minutewomen (12-1, 3-0 Atlantic 10) committed 12 turnovers along with 14 fouls during a very sloppy and sluggish first half in their win Friday against Saint Joseph’s.
UMass brought its fouls down dramatically to four in the second half, but still turned the ball over 11 more times for a total of 23 in the game, compared to the Hawk’s (4-7, 0-2 A-10) 17.
“Obviously we had the lead at the end of the first half, but I just felt like we were playing pretty sloppy,” said McMahon. “We had way too many turnovers. We just weren’t playing our normal game,”
Against its toughest opponent at No. 1 Northwestern, the Minutewomen committed a game-high 26 fouls and 18 turnovers in a deflating 19-7 loss.
Those mental errors didn’t affect the Minutewomen on the scoreboard against Saint Joseph’s but it is something the team is looking to fix as competition gets tougher and a potential NCAA tournament appearance looms.
UMass has a pair of A-10 matchups this weekend. On Friday, the Minutewomen travel to Duquesne for a 1 p.m. game and return home for a noon battle against St. Bonaventure on Sunday.
The Bonnies (2-5, 0-3 A-10) and Dukes (9-4, 2-1 A-10) rank second and third, respectively, in turnovers per game in A-10 play this season, while UMass averages a conference worst 15.62. St. Bonaventure averages 13.86 turnovers per game, while Duquesne averages slightly higher at 14.23 per game.
When it comes to fouls, both the Bonnies and the Minutewomen rank in the middle of the pack. The Dukes, however, are averaging a league-worst 27.46 fouls per game.
It’s not all bad news defensively for UMass. The Minutewomen have caused 7.92 turnovers per contest, which ranks second in the A-10 this season. Although committing an alarming amount of turnovers , UMass forces enough turnovers on the defensive side to even the margin.
Duquesne comes in at a close third, averaging 7.69 caused turnovers a game. The Minutewomen hold a considerable advantage against St. Bonaventure in that regard, as the Bonnies have caused a league-low 3.57 turnovers a game.
Kelsey Palmer wins A-10 honor
UMass turned in a stellar defensive performance against Saint Joseph’s Friday, earning defensive anchor Kelsey Palmer the honor of Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week.
The Minutewomen smothered the Hawks all game, allowing four goals in an impressive victory. The four goals allowed is a season-low for the team, besting its 17-5 non-conference win at home against New Hampshire on Feb. 29.
Palmer led the way for UMass on the defensive side, causing two turnovers and scooping two groundballs.
Friday’s game was a breakout performance for the junior defender. While Ali Houlis is the usual defensive star for the Minutewomen, the senior was not much of a factor against Saint Joseph’s, making Palmer’s performance far more crucial to the team’s success.
Palmer has started all 13 games for UMass this season, racking up 15 groundballs and six caused turnovers.
Compared to last season, Palmer’s numbers are slightly down. Last season, she picked up 20 groundballs and caused 17 turnovers.
Cameron McDonough can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_McDonough.
