An 11th straight victory seemed inevitable from the early stages of the game for the No. 15 Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team on Saturday, as it won comfortably at home against Duquesne 17-5.
UMass (12-1, 6-0 Atlantic 10) pitched a shutout through one half, taking a domineering 13-0 lead into the break. The Minutewomen excelled on draw controls and ground balls, preventing Duquesne (1-12, 0-6 A-10) from possessing the ball while they tallied goals repeatedly in the attacking zone. When the Dukes did get possession, UMass defenders crowded the shooting space in front of goal early and often, holding them to two shots on goal in the first half.
“We play really aggressively and it’s hard to do that,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “Just to come out there and play together as a full team unit was exactly what we wanted to see.”
Four Minutewomen scored hat tricks in another impressive display of a balanced attack for UMass. Charlotte Wilmoth wasted no time recording her hat trick, scoring the game’s first two goals just over three minutes into the first quarter, 13 seconds apart from each other. She scored her third goal with 9:08 to go in the second on a clever give-and-go with Kassidy Morris.
Morris herself scored four goals to lead the team, including a solo goal with a spin move to completely shake herself free from her defender.
Fiona McGowan and Kylee Bowen played up to their usual high standards in the attack, logging the other two hat tricks in the contest.
“They’re so versatile,” Drummond said. “When someone is getting played a little more aggressively on defense, we have a ton more on the offensive end that can really step up and fulfill that role.”
While much of the scoring came from the usual suspects, Saturday’s game saw two Minutewomen each record their first career goals as Jordan Dean and freshman Emma Dengler got on the score sheet against the Dukes.
“They’ve worked so hard behind the scenes,” Drummond said. “Seeing that fulfillment come into play in a game is great; just to see all of that hard work pay off.”
After each of their goals, their teammates on the field smothered them in hugs and congratulations, and players on the sideline gushed with joy just a bit louder than they did for any of the other UMass goals.
“The team was so ecstatic that I had to hold them back,” Drummond said. “It was great to see that support from every member on the team.”
With Saturday’s win, UMass continues to surge toward the first seed in the A-10 tournament, beating its conference opponents by an average margin of 12.3. Despite the feeling from the outside that the team is destined for postseason success, Drummond hasn’t paid attention to the standings or the future.
“It has not crossed my mind,” Drummond said. “I don’t want us to think too far ahead or put too much pressure on, ‘this is what we need to do.’ Let’s just go out, do what we came here to do and keep focusing on the little details.”
UMass will take their 11-game win streak on the road for a clash against VCU. The opening draw is scheduled for Saturday, April 15 at 12 p.m.
Jedhi Lee can be reached at [email protected].
