Big East play is in full swing, and UConn women’s lacrosse has never looked better. The Huskies faced off against Xavier on Saturday and didn’t have any problems. Connecticut cruised to a 19-7 victory, leaving nothing to chance.
The scoreboard reflected the game’s total effort, with UConn slowly wearing the Musketeers down. They notched more than 2X Xavier’s shots on goal and turned the ball over seven fewer times. Their attack was relentless, which is exactly how it needs to be in a road game.
The Huskies, who have largely taken turns letting players have great games, saw a phenomenal one from Susan Lafountain against the Musketeers. The senior enjoyed a career day, scoring five goals on 10 shots. She’s increased her scoring each year as a Husky and had it going early and often. She had a hat trick by the half, and thanks to her efforts, she didn’t need to do much in the final quarter.
Along with Lafountain, another UConn player who shined was Eliza Bowman. The Johns Hopkins transfer found the back of the net four times, her best mark in her first season as a Husky. Getting Bowman going is huge for UConn, as they need all the scoring they can get down the stretch. Perhaps this will be a coming out party for the grad student, whose comfort in Storrs seems to be increasing.
Abby Charron did a little bit of everything in the matchup, notching three goals and finding her teammates for three assists. Now, with 10 points over the last two games, Charron has been emerging as one of the top options on the team, especially as a facilitator. She leads Connecticut in assists and has been particularly effective recently.
Neither team had much success in finding goals early, with a scoreless first five minutes of action. But once it started, there was no stopping it. Lauren Barry struck first, but Xavier’s Lola Mancuso answered back within the minute to tie things up. It took fewer than three minutes for UConn to knock in as many goals, helping them finish the opening quarter with a 5-2 lead.
Connecticut looked poised to completely break the game open in the second frame, scoring five straight goals. They were up 10-2 before the quarter was even halfway through, but then came Xavier. The Musketeers did their best to will themselves back into the game, scoring the half’s final three goals to cut their deficit to just five.
That was all they could muster, though, as the Huskies went ballistic in the third period. Six different UConn players scored during their 7-0 run that all but sealed the deal. The fourth quarter was uninteresting with the contest decided, as neither side moved the needle.
It’s also of note that top scorers Kate Shaffer and Rayea Davis combined for two goals. It’s a welcome sign that UConn can do well without incredible performances from their stars. If they’re all on, it means trouble for the opposition.
Now the Huskies look forward to a break from conference action with a pair of road games against SUNY Albany and UMass.