It’s been a tough few weeks for the No. 25 UConn women’s lacrosse team. After starting the year on a heater, they’ve dropped their past few. The first loss was a tight match against No. 3 Denver in a game that saw the Huskies give it their all, ultimately losing by five. It was a misfortune that they had to follow it up with 13-1 Marquette, a team that probably deserves to be ranked. The Huskies were down by nine at one point and their comeback effort fell short. With the tough part of their Big East slate behind them, Connecticut has no choice but to turn the corner if they want to do much in May.
Their road to turn things around starts with a midweek matinee against Georgetown. The 6-8 Hoyas haven’t had quite the year they hoped for, especially struggling lately. They’ve lost three of their past four, with that win coming in a road shellacking of Xavier, 25-8. Close games haven’t been their friend either in this span, as they lost the three contests by a combined four goals. In KPI, they’re No. 46 nationally, not sticking out so much positively or negatively.
Kylie Hazen, a Florida native, has been the Hoyas’ best option this year, getting it done both scoring and facilitating. She’s second highest on the team in goals with 33, notching five in the blowout over the Musketeers. The junior dished out four assists in their season opener against American, a big contributor to her team-leading 20. When Hazen does well, so does Georgetown, so she’ll be an important player to watch for.
The team’s leading scorer is Erin Bakes, and as prolific as she’s been at times, the grad student hasn’t been terribly consistent. She has six games with one or fewer goals, but she also occasionally explodes. Bakes scored 12 goals across the team’s first three games and went for seven in the Xavier game.
After beating the Hoyas thrice in 2021 – 60% of the Huskies’ all time wins over Georgetown – they lost by 10 in Washington, D.C. last year. UConn beat Villanova handily and Georgetown lost to the Wildcats: a good omen for this contest. The Huskies really need a win here, as they’re just 1-2 in conference now halfway through. They remain No. 25 in the country, but another loss will likely send them out of the rankings and on the wrong side of the bubble.
UConn’s key player in this matchup is Rayea Davis. The redshirt freshman is primed for an excellent game in the near future and is in the midst of a breakout season. She’s scored in each of the past four games, including a match against UAlbany where she erupted for five. She’s also recorded at least one assist in each of those games, with five in their most recent loss to Marquette. Davis is really coming into her own down the stretch here and if she’s able to continue, it would be huge for the Huskies.
Davis and the Huskies’ opportunity will come at 2 p.m. and can be watched on FloSports.
