After notching a massive 19-2 win against Manhattan on Saturday, the No. 23 UConn women’s lacrosse team will head to Cambridge, Mass. to take on the No. 24 ranked Harvard.
The program is coming into this matchup on a high, notching their season-high of goals scored in their matchup against Manhattan, but also with senior Riley Daly being named Big East Defensive Player of the Week. The senior defender accumulated five draw controls, three ground balls as well as two caused turnovers in their win last weekend.
Daly leads the team with 23 draw controls and is second in both ground balls with 10 and caused turnovers with six.
This will be the second time the programs come face to face and for the first time in 16 years. The last time these two squads faced against one another, Harvard took a close victory with the score being 14-12 in Storrs, Conn.
Much like the Huskies, Harvard comes into this match with full confidence after an upset win over No. 15 Navy, 11-9, their first win over a top 15 opponent in 12 seasons.
In this win, Harvard’s Grace Mullahy led the way with three of the 11 goals. Grace Mullahy leads the team in scoring with 10. The midfielder has also accumulated 17 shots on goal in the last three games and currently stands with a .810 shot on goal percentage.
Another instrumental player for the Crimson’s offense is senior Caroline Mullahy who leads the team with 10 assists, three of these assists coming from their last match against Navy. Caroline Mullahy also scored a goal in the match, making it her fourth of the season.
The team will also bring strong defensive players, including junior Despina Giannakopoulos, who caused six turnovers in their last match. Giannakopoulos leads the team overall with nine caused turnovers and 10 ground balls.
Another essential player to the Crimson’s defense is senior goaltender Lizzie Francioli, who made eight saves in the second half of the NAVY game. She is also the leading goaltender with 24 saves so far this season.
The Crimson and UConn come into this matchup evenly matched, both only having one loss in their season. Harvard currently stands with a 2-1 record having only lost to No. 24 Drexel University, who UConn beat in their season opener. On the other hand, UConn stands with a 3-1, losing their match to No. 18 James Madison two weeks ago.
Both programs will enter this matchup hoping to continue their positive momentum as they get ready to start conference play. The Huskies will hope for redemption after their 16-year-old loss to the Crimson.
Face-off is set for 6 p.m on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Jordan Field in Cambridge, Mass. Husky fans can tune into the match on ESPN+.