The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team fell 19-16 to No. 23 UConn on Saturday afternoon. Despite jumping out to an 8-3 lead in the first quarter, the Minutewomen (2-3) struggled with possession in the second half, finishing with 17 turnovers and 46 fouls. The Huskies (4-2) capitalized on these mistakes, outscoring UMass 5-1 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
There were significant momentum swings throughout the matchup, with UConn benefiting from key goals by Eliza Bowman and Megan O’Brien. Bowman netted a career-high eight goals against the Minutewomen while O’Brien sealed the Huskies’ victory with back-to-back goals late in the game.
UConn dominated possession in the final quarter, which proved to be decisive. With key goals from O’Brien, the Huskies’ defense continued to stifle the Minutewomen’s offense and UConn controlled the draw circle, allowing them to possess the ball for extended stretches of time. UMass, struggling to maintain possession, could not mount a successful attack.
The Huskies capitalized on every opportunity to extend their lead late, capped off by O’Brien scoring her fourth goal with 1:17 remaining to make it 19-15. Ava Connaughton got one past UConn’s defense with a little over a minute left, but it proved to be too little, too late, as the Huskies regained the ball off a turnover shortly after the draw.
Head coach Jana Drummond’s Minutewomen started strong, building an early lead behind Kassidy Morris and Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw, who both tallied four goals on the day. Off a save from Catrina Tobin in the middle of the first quarter, the ball made its way to Rodriguez-Shaw, who curled around multiple defenders to find a clear shot on goal. The senior scored to begin a seven-goal run for UMass. Morris followed up with a long-range shot a few minutes later, pushing the Minutewomen ahead by four goals.
Up 8-3 after the first quarter, UMass looked dominant, controlling almost every facet of the game. UConn adjusted quickly in the second quarter however, forcing turnover after turnover and capitalizing on those opportunities to close the gap. With 14 fouls and a few unforced errors by the Minutewomen, the Huskies clawed their way back into the game.
UConn made its comeback via a seven-goal run of its own that took up the entire second quarter. The graduate student Bowman continued to lead her team during that stretch, scoring three. Thanks to their domination in the period, the Huskies went into the break up two on UMass.
The third quarter saw the Minutewomen briefly regain control thanks to some key plays from Tessa Shields. The UMass attacker received a free position shot three minutes into the quarter and converted it as an equalizer. A few minutes later, the Minutewomen forced a turnover by the Huskies. Shields took the ball straight up the center, firing an absolute rocket into the back of the net. Shields’ efforts temporarily gave UMass the upper hand with a one-goal advantage. Still, UConn continued to pressure and countered with a feisty shot from O’Brien that Tobin ultimately saved to end the quarter.
The Minutewomen’s defensive struggles were compounded by multiple infractions committed in the third by Jordan Dean, their primary draw specialist, which disrupted possession opportunities. The Huskies took advantage of possession, which proved to be the difference in the closing minutes.
UMass had four players score multiple goals, as Shields tied Morris and Rodriguez-Shaw with a team-leading four goals while Connaughton slotted in two. Past Bowman’s eight goals, O’Brien (four goals) and Emma Dacey (two) were also crucial for UConn’s offense.
The Minutewomen head to Richmond next to face VCU in their A-10 opener. That game will take place on Saturday, March 8 at noon.
Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Kate_e_endres.
