The UConn women’s lacrosse team defeated No. 24 Drexel in an overtime thriller to begin their 2025 season on Saturday. The unranked Huskies established a name for themselves early with this home-opening victory.
Taking a look at Connecticut, Rayea Davis took every opportunity she could get to score. The junior led the team in shots with nine attempts for seven. There is no better way to kick off the 2025 season than with a hat trick, and that’s what Davis did. The attacker came alive in the second quarter after only taking two missed shots in the first. With a little less than five minutes left on the clock, Anna Magennis found Davis, who ran through the middle of two defenders and sniped the ball in for a 4-3 lead. Less than a minute later, the junior kept the ball for herself, found an opening and buried it in to put the Huskies up by two to end the half. Karsyn Burnash came up big in the fourth quarter and narrowed UConn’s deficit to one point, which set Davis up for success. The attacker earned two free position shots in the third and fourth quarters. Jenika Cuocco saved the first, but the second attempt secured an overtime battle for the team.
In addition, Eve McGrogan punched in three netters of her own. The sophomore started the matchup strong and knocked in the first goal for the Huskies. After tying things up, the attacker nailed another one in and took the lead with five minutes left in the first quarter. The fun did not stop there, as Jenna Giardina got in on the action and bumped the score up 3-1. While McGrogan stayed quiet for the remainder of the regular time, Giardina assisted Eliza Bowman with a goal and grabbed her second point in the third. Entering overtime, turnovers were happening left and right, but with 2:23 left, McGrogan captured the game-winning shot coming out of a timeout.
Defensively, Riley Daly led the team with a career-high of 11 draw controls while Abby Beran topped the Huskies with four ground balls. In the net for UConn, Tori Cini saved six shots and allowed nine goals. The graduate goalkeeper kept the contest alive after saving one final free position shot before heading into overtime. Despite controlling 17 draws, the Huskies struggled and turned over the rock 18 times that turned into five points for the Dragons. To add on, the program only forced six changes in possessions.
Turning over to the opponents, Allison Drake kicked things off for Drexel and scored the first goal of the contest. The Dragons looked to have gained momentum early but struggled to keep the ball and missed the net wide. The team nearly ended the quarter with a two-point deficit, but Ellie Wall scored off a free position shot with 48 seconds remaining. Regardless of opening the second quarter with only one shot, Bridget Finley found the equalizer. The program once again hit a bump in the road and could not get to the net for the rest of the match.
Coming out at the half, the switch flipped as Finley and Drake notched two goals in less than two minutes. With the Huskies adding to the score, making it 6-5, Drexel fired back with another from Drake. This earned the graduate attacker a hat trick of her own. With two minutes left in the third, both teams traded scores and ended the quarter at even. Despite trailing the entire match, Drexel found their first lead of the game in the fourth frame. Finely earned a hat trick and Bea Buckley knocked one in for a two-point advantage, but the team failed to hold UConn off. Heading into overtime, the team struggled to challenge Cini with zero attempts.
Drexel outperformed Connecticut defensively by taking 21 groundballs and causing 11 turnovers. The team struggled to gain control of draws but had fewer botched plays than the Huskies. Looking at the stats, it would look like the Dragons won, but the team failed to take advantage of their opportunities, allowing UConn to take the dub.
Next up, the Huskies will stay in Storrs, Conn. to face off against Fairfield at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12.