The women’s lacrosse team is officially on a roll and has created their longest winning streak of the season following a 15-10 triumph over UAlbany.
It was a sweet Saturday afternoon victory for the Huskies as they put their sixth-straight win against Albany in the books. With six different scorers on the board and a consistent attacking pattern, the Huskies flew through the match.
Before stepping onto the field, UConn (8-5) had the slight advantage of a winning streak and a more favorable season record than Albany (4-9), but the Huskies made sure their skill on the field did the talking. Soon enough, it did. It quickly became clear that UConn would be in control of the match as the Great Danes were challenged to rise to the Huskies level of gameplay.
UConn came out of the gates strong and quickly set the tone. In the first quarter alone, the squad outshot the Great Danes 7-3 and won five draw controls compared to Albany’s.
Rayea Davis was the first to find the back of the net just three minutes into the match granting the Huskies an early lead. Just moments later, the Huskies regained possession as Madelyn George won the draw control. For the next 10 minutes, UConn was exceptional in weaving around Albany’s defense and inching closer to the goaltender. However, the Great Danes hit the sweet spot with just five minutes left in the quarter. The group netted three consecutive shots in three minutes.
The Huskies, however, were not intimidated by Albany’s edge and quickly capitalized on a moment of weakness. After another draw control by George, the attacking line made swift work of the Great Danes, with Abby Charron assisting Eliza Bowman to net UConn’s second.
Although they were heading into the second with a slight deficit (2-3), the Huskies have been in a trailing position before and understand the level of intensity needed to turn the tide.
Although Albany started the second with a bang and netted their fourth goal, UConn quickly quieted the celebrations and became close with the Albany goaltender. Getting outshot 4-10 was the least of the Great Dane’s worries as UConn was able to net four shots in the quarter.
Soon enough, the Huskies were running circles around Albany and turned on the heat. By the end of the second, Kate Shaffer was on the board, with Bowman scoring another and Davis adding two.
The third quarter became slightly more neck-and-neck for the duo, and although both groups netted three goals, UConn maintained the upper hand. The Bowman, Davis and Shaffer trio proved to be an unstoppable offensive force as they ran the attacking line with accuracy and efficiency. The three attackers were all over the field and seamlessly worked the offensive plays like a well-oiled machine.
With a 9-7 lead and 15 minutes left to play, another victory was just within reach for the Huskies. Soon enough, the Great Danes rendered defenseless to the Huskies’ advances as consecutive goals 10, 11 and 12 came in like clockwork.
Although Albany made a few notable advances and scored three more, it was no match for the Huskies as they finished 15-10.
Bowman was the standout athlete throughout the match as she swiftly directed the attacking line to success. With six shots and four goals, the graduate student is rounding out her time as Husky perfectly.
This week, the Huskies will have a slightly quicker turnaround and will take on UMass (9-4) on Wednesday. Since the two have nearly identical season records and a history of rivalry, the contest may be one of the fiercest this season. With just three contests left before the Big East Championship, UConn must capitalize on every opportunity to finish on top.