This Saturday, the UConn women’s lacrosse team is hoping to keep their momentum going after what has been a rough start to the campaign. Following an 0-3 start that featured defeats to Fairfield, No. 2 James Madison and St. Joe’s, Connecticut absolutely wallopped New Hampshire away from home. As a matter of fact, the Huskies have yet to play a game on their home soil this year. It can be tough to win on the road and they’ve been evidence of that.
In what is set to be the last game of their opening road trip, the Huskies will travel south and across the Connecticut River to face off against No. 18 Yale. The Bulldogs are undefeated through four tries, including a huge victory against No. 21 Princeton and another against Stanford, who is receiving votes.
These teams have faced off three times with the Huskies holding a 2-1 advantage. They played most recently last year in a contest that was a barn burner. The teams were deadlocked throughout the first three quarters, with neither side getting ahead by more than one goal. Yale used a trio of unanswered goals to create a three goal advantage, but the Huskies managed to force overtime with three of their own. UConn’s All-America honorable mention Kate Shaffer was the ultimate difference, scoring the sudden-death goal to send Yale packing.
Shaffer was great for UConn in the victory, but perhaps their biggest star was Jenna Collignon, even in the loss. She notched five goals on the day and has picked up right where she left off this year. The junior has found the back of the net 10 times so far, with an especially exceptional day against Princeton. She netted 5 in that one, which was nice to see after a slow start that saw her total 3 in the team’s first two outings. Expect her to be the focal point of Yale’s scoring attack, though the Bulldogs can still find ways to win without her on point.
Their biggest facilitating threat up to this point has been Fallon Vaughn, who has tallied 7. She’s been heating up in that department lately with 5 across the team’s first two games, which pairs nicely with her 3 goals in the span. The Massachusetts native has been a huge offensive option, but her and Collignon are only the tip of the iceberg. Yale’s potent attack features six Bulldogs who have at least 8 points, much more balanced than most teams nationally.
As for UConn, Shaffer will look to recreate her performance from last year and give the Huskies their first signature win. The local grad student was uncharacteristically slow to kick the campaign off, but has really heated up lately. She’s scored 9 goals in her last two times on the field, some serious momentum to carry into a marquee matchup like this one. Her facilitating has been a little less present this year than last, but scoring is the top-priority for Connecticut’s success.
Someone who picked up the slack while Shaffer sputtered to start was Susan Lafountain. Her 8 scores in the team’s first two outings kept them in contention for wins, even as others failed to find their groove. What we haven’t seen yet is a game where both Shaffer and Lafountain both perform to their potential, a scary thought for the opposition. The 1-3 start hasn’t been unexplainable, which at least gives them things they know they can improve on as the season progresses.
Rayea Davis has also been important for Connecticut, serving as a tertiary scoring option early on. Her breakout campaign for the Huskies as a redshirt freshman was tremendous last year and she’s generally done what’s been asked of her as a scoring-minded attacker. If everyone played their role as much as Davis has so far, UConn wouldn’t have just one win. As long as Davis continues to put pressure on the keeper and pepper the opposing net with shots, they’ll have a shot to win.
As for this contest’s implications, they’re pretty huge. The Huskies only have so many chances to get signature triumphs, especially now that they need to work their way out of a hole that they’ve dug themselves. Yale would provide just that. It’s not that UConn has a shortage of opportunities left on their schedule, but the time to show they can do it is now. Because if they drop too many more, their chances of dancing in May will dwindle.