It’s set to be a brawl of Connecticut teams on Wednesday, as the University of Connecticut women’s lacrosse team will take on Yale on the other side of Connecticut at the historic grounds of Reese Stadium.
The Bulldogs have had a very impressive season against their previous opponents. It’s been a season of winning for coach Erica Bamford’s squad, who stand at 9-2 on the season. Other than two brutal losses against Boston College and Notre Dame, the team has certainly proved themselves as a feared and dangerous opponent.
Olivia Markert is a huge contributor to the Bulldogs’ success thus far. With a team leading 32 goals and 39 points, she’s been a dangerous weapon on the field for Yale, especially against Harvard and Quinnipiac this season when she scored 6 goals and 7 goals, respectively. Fans can expect her to have a significant impact on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs are also considerably deep across the board. Junior Olivia Penoyer has been incredibly unselfish throughout this season with multiple 4-assist games as she continues to set up her teammates for scoring opportunities. With the second most points on the team, she’s just another weapon that UConn head coach Katie Woods will have to get her squad to defend against.
Not only are the Bulldogs incredibly deep, but they also have plenty of youth. Their two most dangerous options on the draw, Sky Carrasquillo and Taylor Lane, are both first-year students. With 46 draw controls for Carrasquillo and 40 for Lane, the Huskies will need to work hard on the draw for extra possessions.
The key for a win in New Haven is UConn’s play in the fourth quarter, which looked brutal against Marquette and Villanova. While UConn had plenty of momentum going into the final quarter in both games, the team was able to make it interesting, with both the Golden Eagles and Wildcats looking unstoppable against the Huskies on defense. UConn needs to be on point, especially goalkeeper Landyn White.
In their third to last game of the season, UConn needs momentum heading into the postseason. A nice closeout on the road is sure to bring plenty of confidence to the Huskies and drive them toward success in a competitive Big East Championship and NCAA Tournament.
