Despite an unfavorable outcome, the UConn women’s lacrosse team fought hard against long-time rival Fairfield.
For the past three years now, the Huskies have begun their season against the Stags and have historically been challenged year in and year out. This season was no different, as the No. 22 Huskies traveled to the Fairfield turf to take on the No. 1 ranked team in the MAAC preseason poll.
The first quarter started UConn off on the right foot as sophomore Rayea Davis fired off the first goal with just 10 minutes remaining. Davis has been a standout attacker since her rookie year, as she was in the top five team leaders in scoring last season with 28 goals to her name. She is already leading the team this season in goals after scoring four against Fairfield.
UConn’s second goal came just 30 seconds later as senior attacker Susan Lafountain plowed through the Fairfield defense to find the back of the net.
With a 2-0 lead, the Stags were prepared to answer as they earned three in a row with just five minutes left in the quarter.
Despite the sudden 3-2 fall, UConn responded. Lafountain led the team to the net for her second goal of the day, assisted by Jenna Giardina. Lafountain has earned her place as a team leader with a near-perfect consistent SOG%.
The UConn-Fairfield duel quickly established a call-and-response dynamic as the Stags earned their fourth goal to once again overtake the Huskies. However, the duo of Davis and Lafountain rallied the group to charge the net and fire off two more goals.
The third quarter then upped the ante to the highest level of intensity. With the Huskies in the lead 6-5, Davis scored a hat trick to push the Huskies into a two-point margin. Davis proved to be a dominant force on the turf as she once again found the back of the net for her fourth goal of the day. Despite these efforts, UConn was outscored 4-2 in the third.
Despite being down by one, the fourth and final quarter was make or break as the Huskies laid it all out on the field. Junior attacker Grace Slater led the Stags as she earned her fourth goal of the contest.
Even with a final effort from Lafountain and graduate student Kate Shaffer, the Huskies ultimately fell 9-11 as the Stags nailed three closing goals in the last quarter.
A highlight of the matchup was goalkeeper Landyn White’s performance who earned her 600th career save during the match. Although the Huskies fell short, the season is only just beginning. With about three months left to fine-tune their skills and grow cohesively, the team has gained several newcomers and will look to veteran leaders.
Shaffer, who has been named Big East Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and ended last season with a team-high of 55 goals and 28 assists, will most likely be an athlete the group looks to throughout the season. The veteran standout has routinely demonstrated exemplary strategic gameplay and will most likely continue to do so this season.
From the underclassmen, sophomore breakout star Grace Winkler followed in Shaffer’s footsteps as she had a phenomenal freshman year with a consistently near-perfect SOG%. In last year’s game against Fairfield , she had a career-high of five goals in her very first collegiate contest. As for the newcomers, nine freshmen were added to the pack, making it the biggest class on the team. With two defenders, three midfielders and attackers and one goalkeeper, the Huskies gained new talent from all angles of the field.
Looking ahead, the Huskies will be on the road again to take on JMU in Maryland. The Dukes had an explosive start to the season and were named No. 3 in the nation in the first ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll. Just recently, they beat UNC in an electrifying overtime 19-18 victory. In last year’s matchup, Tai Jankowski was the player to beat, but since graduating, the Dukes will need to fill her shoes.
The matchup will take place on Saturday and is set to begin at 12 p.m.