The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team was consistent for a full 60 minutes in its 14-4 win against Davidson, allowing one goal in each quarter on a sunny Saturday afternoon in North Carolina.
The No. 16 ranked Minutewomen (11-1, 5-0 Atlantic 10) dominated on both offense and defense against the third-place Wildcats (9-3, 4-1 A-10). The 15 clears and 20 ground balls picked up by UMass were instrumental in the defense transitioning to offense down the field.
“They all play so hard for each other,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “The defense did so many great things for us. Our offense did a great job at taking care of the ball, making smart decisions and they executed very well because of that.”
Alex Finn scored five points for the Minutewomen, finishing with three goals and two assists. Her first two tallies were nearly identical, coming out from behind the net and finishing up high. The hat trick goal added a bit of flash, with a double head fake on the falling defender covering her behind the cage and scoring at the front of the crease.
“[Finn] was just so confident,” Drummond said. “She always knows what she needs to do offensively to score big goals. Our team did a great job at finding ways to expose her today.”
Amy Moreau started off the game hot for UMass with three points off two goals and one assist in the first quarter. Her first goal saw her fighting through a maze of sticks to get to the front of the net and put the Minutewomen on the board. Her second of the day came 38 seconds after Davidson tied the score at one.
Moreau showed her versatility in all three zones of the field, registering three ground balls, three draw controls and one caused turnover. The turnover she created in the defensive zone by stealing the ball from Wildcat attacker Riley Moore led to a scoring chance for UMass on the other end.
“She was a stud on both ends of the field,” Drummond said. “Their defense was all over us today. They are very physical defense and [Moreau] can handle that physicality well.”
The first quarter started off slow, but after Moreau’s response, the Minutewomen potted two goals in the final minute of the quarter. Davidson scored the first goal in the second quarter to make it a two-goal game until Finn scored three consecutive goals to diminish any momentum.
UMass scored six straight times going into the third quarter to make it a 10-2 score early in the second half. The Wildcats had some life heading into the final quarter, scoring two straight goals, but ultimately could not stop the highest-scoring offense in the conference.
The Minutewomen had a great performance at the draw circle, winning 16 of their 22 draws in the game. Jordan Dean finished with eight on the day and Hannah Heller finished with five.
“[Dean] had an amazing game at the circle,” Drummond said. “Davidson is very good at the draw typically so I’m very proud of the draw squad for taking care of them today.”
Charlotte Wilmoth increased her goal total to a team-high 29 goals with a three-goal performance of her own. On her second goal, she found the net by shooting it between the legs of Wildcat goalie Amanda Monahan while being taken down to the ground by a defender. Kylee Bowen finished the match with two goals and a game-high five shots on goal.
With this win, UMass remains in first place in the A-10 conference as the only undefeated team at 5-0. It also extended its win streak to 10 straight games and has lost just one game all season. The Minutewomen will look to continue their streak when they host Duquesne on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“This game was a testament to how hard our team has been working,” Drummond said. “We know that these A-10 teams we are playing are all great and any little dip we have can be exposed at any time.”
Scottie Marro can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @scottiemarro.
