The UConn women’s lacrosse team (6-4, 0-1) is set to travel to Hempstead, NY to take on Hofstra this weekend to finish off non-conference play.
The Huskies are coming off an 11-7 loss at Villanova in the Big East opener, in which the Wildcats outshot Connecticut 38-23. UConn took an early 3-1 lead in the first quarter before Villanova rattled off six unanswered points before the half. This proved too much to come back from, despite the Huskies’ best efforts in the second half. Graduate student Jenna Giardina led the Huskies with three points with two goals and one assist.
Hofstra (6-4) is also looking to bounce back after a 14-12 loss to Elon. Redshirt sophomore Nikki Mennella dominated with six goals and three assists on the day. Mennella is Hofstra’s leading scorer this season with 58 points, consisting of 33 goals and 25 assists, making her one of the top scorers in the nation. Slowing her down will be a key challenge for the Huskies’ defense.
UConn is hoping for a bounce-back game from their leading scorer, redshirt junior Rayea Davis, who has been relatively quiet for the past few games. A strong performance from her could provide the offense with a much-needed boost after the last game. Goalkeeper Tori Cini has looked solid in her past few games, bringing up her save percentage to 46.7%. In transition, UConn has been very efficient with a 91.7% clearing percentage, which will be crucial in limiting turnovers.
The two teams are nearly identical in draw controls, though UConn has a slight advantage at 55.4% compared to Hofstra’s 55.3%. Hofstra has been able to limit turnovers, averaging 14.3 per game, while UConn averages 16.8. As a result, the Huskies will need to rely on efficient shooting to keep up. The Pride’s attack is one of the most efficient in the nation, converting 47% of their shots, compared to UConn’s 45.2%. Despite their efficient offense, Hofstra has struggled on the defensive end. The Pride allow an average of 10 goals per game and have a 40.1% save percentage at goal. If UConn can create quality looks on offense, they could take advantage by putting pressure on Hofstra’s goaltending.
UConn and Hofstra will face off on March 23 at 3 p.m., with both squads looking to get back into the win column. For the Huskies, finishing non-conference play with a win would be a needed confidence boost before returning to Big East competition.