The University of Connecticut women’s lacrosse team faced one of its toughest opponents of the season on Saturday, the powerhouse No. 13 James Madison University Dukes.
Despite UConn showing some fight and keeping the game close at the half, the Dukes showed their upper strength throughout the game, outperforming the Huskies until the end. It was certainly a game of scoring for both teams, as JMU had 33 shots to UConn’s 22.
Much of JMU’s elite play is owed to redshirt sophomore Isabella Peterson, who grabbed a team-high six goals on the day. The Dukes’ victory would not have been possible without the sophomore’s elite play. Alongside Peterson, the Dukes were assisted by Kacey Knobloch’s 3 goals. Knobloch and Peterson’s play pushed the Dukes to a commanding lead in the second half, as JMU outscored UConn 6-2.
The Huskies were unable to get much going on the scoring end throughout the game. While the Huskies started out strong with three straight goals to start the game thanks to Grace Coon and Lia LaPrise, they were unable to withhold the scoring brigade from JMU. Despite it being just a two-point game at the half, JMU had an explosive second half to get the Dukes the win.
UConn was certainly missing some usual production from players like Sydney Watson, who notched just one late-game goal for the team. While Watson was able to score in her 24th straight game for the Huskies, the team could definitely have used her usual offensive production in order to grab a win on Saturday.
Additionally, Landyn White especially struggled with 13 goals allowed and just five saves. Peterson, along with Knobloch, were simply too much for White, who struggled to contain the Dukes all game. Compared to White’s seven saves against Fairfield University, the senior definitely looked off.
A key factor to UConn’s loss were plenty of turnovers, as the Huskies struggled to retain possession with 17 total turnovers on the game. It also didn’t help that UConn was unable to outperform JMU on draw controls, as the Dukes grabbed 13 to UConn’s 11. The Huskies certainly could have used much of those extra possessions as they attempted to regain the lead in the latter stages of Saturday’s game.
UConn will now shift its focus to Friday’s matchup against UMass Lowell at 3 p.m. The Huskies will have to shrug this loss off and get back to their usual production.