Sometimes, it’s just not your day. For the UConn women’s lacrosse team, that’s been the case more times this season than usual. After going through the grind of their nonconference schedule and coming into conference play, they went back out of the Big East for a pair of games. They steamrolled a struggling Albany squad, but then faced UMass. As it turned out, it was Connecticut’s turn to get steamrolled. In a game that didn’t really matter in the long run, they were blitzed from the start, as they lost 19-9.
Kassidy Morris scored two goals as the Minutemen jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first six minutes, leaving the Huskies’ heads spinning. It wasn’t until the opening period was halfway done that Morgan Carter managed UConn’s first goal of the evening, which Kate Shaffer followed with one of her own. While UMass’ Fiona McGowan prevented a big Husky run with a score, Connecticut wasn’t done fighting.
Susan Lafountain finished the quarter by finding the back of the net and Rayea Davis cut the deficit to two with her first of the day. From there, it was all Minutemen. Morris continued her big outing with four goals in a Massachusetts 7-0 run. Shaffer did her best to cover the bullet wound with a bandaid, scoring another, but three more goals from the home side was too much. With an 11-goal advantage late in the third quarter, it was curtains for the Huskies.
Despite the rough outing for the team, Davis did put together a good statline. Four of her five goals came after the outcome had been decided, a time when UMass had stopped trying. Davis’ first score helped UConn get as close as they could after the initial Minutemen onslaught, but Massachusetts got whatever they wanted all day.
The only other Husky with multiple scores was Shaffer, but the graduate attacker only found the back of the net twice. Shaffer hasn’t had a lot of success lately, even as the Huskies have strung together wins in four of their last five games. She has just one hat trick in the span and has totaled 9 goals, which averages to fewer than 2 per game.
While the UMass game doesn’t matter in the grand scheme, Shaffer will need to pick things up come Big East tournament time. That’s the Huskies’ only hope at an NCAA tournament bid, with their 8-6 record putting them well out of contention for an at-large bid.
LOOKING AHEAD…
While their weekday matchup wasn’t pretty for Connecticut, they’ll get to take out their frustrations against Butler on Saturday. In their return to Storrs, Conn. after three games out of state, the Huskies will receive the prize of playing one of the Big East’s least competitive squads.
The Bulldogs hold a 2-12 record and are currently riding a 5-game losing streak. They started their season with a narrow win over an even poorer Central Michigan squad, but then got their first taste of defeat. That taste came in a 25-3 smackdown against Notre Dame, which they followed with six more losses, four coming on the road.
They were fortunate to break that skid with the only Big East team worse than them, which is Xavier. The Musketeers, who have yet to collect a win in conference, lost by six goals to Butler on their home turf. While the Bulldogs hoped to use this to build a win-streak, they went back to their losing ways. In their most recent five matchups, they’ve lost each one, with three coming by a margin of more than eight.
While their defense is largely what loses the Bulldogs most of their games, their offense isn’t horrendous. They let up the third most goals per game, but Butler does manage to do some scoring. Their leader there is Leah Rubino, a senior midfielder with a knack for the back of the net. 7 of her 41 season goals came in the opener against CMU and she’s had a pair of five goal games since. She’s not a big passer, with just five assists to her name, but does what she can to power her team’s offense.
Her teammate, Luci Selander, is more of a dual threat with a blend of scoring and facilitating. The sophomore, who has been moved to the bench in recent outings, provides a spark with 31 goals and 17 assists. Her consistency has been key for Butler, scoring no more than four goals and no fewer than two in each of the team’s last six outings. Even if she hasn’t been powering the team to a great season, her energy creates promise for the future, with two more years of eligibility.
Regardless of what Rubino and Selander can do, it’s unlikely this will be much of a contest. UConn is having a down year compared to recent seasons, but is still in a much better position than Butler.
Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. EST at Morrone Stadium and it can be viewed on FloSports.