After falling just short in a nail-biting loss to Saint Joseph’s, the UConn women’s lacrosse squad is gearing up for their next opponent, New Hampshire.
The 10-11 loss to Saint Joseph’s had the Huskies toeing victory for a majority of the matchup and despite falling short, the contest allowed UConn to practice their scoring capabilities.
For a majority of the contest, the Huskies outshot the Hawks and demonstrated improvement in their offensive aggression. The most notable performance came in the fourth quarter as the Huskies outshot the Hawks 14-2.
While their efforts do not go unnoticed, the Huskies must put their nose to the grindstone for Wednesday’s matchup as New Hampshire is currently 2-2 whereas UConn is 0-3.
The last time the Huskies and Wildcats went head-to-head was last March. In a thrilling 17-6 victory, UConn dominated New Hampshire in a seamless triumph. With nine scorers from UConn and an 11-point scoring margin, the Huskies were unbeatable. Graduate student Kate Shaffer and senior Susan Lafountain were dominant in the 2023 showing as they both stormed past the New Hampshire defense time and time again.
Interestingly enough, the majority of UConn’s goals were unassisted. However, the group’s cohesion was well established and although it was only the fourth contest of the season, the team played with an established level of expertise.
This time around, the Huskies must flex their defensive muscles to guard goalkeeper Landyn White from any New Hampshire shots. The Wildcats have demonstrated relatively strong offensive gameplay with a .486 shot percentage. Comparatively, the Huskies’ is .295. White has firmly established herself in the net this season and already has 27 saves in just three games.
Although the Huskies may be battling an 0-3 record, a win this week is nowhere near out of the question as dominance has been shown across the board. Lafountain has 10 goals in three games and redshirt sophomore Rayea Davis has demonstrated significant underclassman promise.
As for the standout performances, the team has proven to be a well-rounded group as several athletes have already put their names on the board. In last week’s contest, Lafountain had 12 shots on goal with Shaffer following right behind at nine.
From New Hampshire, UConn may need to watch out for graduate student Katie Taranto who has been a powerhouse on the field this season. So far, Taranto has already scored 10 goals and will be a team leader the Huskies must strongly defend. Last year, Taranto scored one goal against the Huskies.
Overall, UConn must remain on their toes to maintain intensity and authority on the field. While the contest may be tough, victory is not too far out of reach for the Huskies.
The contest on Wednesday is set for a 2 p.m. start in Durham, New Hampshire.