The UConn women’s lacrosse team (8-4, 1-1) finished off a four-game road trip with a dominant 18-7 victory over Butler University (0-9, 0-3) in Indianapolis on Tuesday. The Huskies displayed a balanced offensive attack led by redshirt junior Rayea Davis and a suffocating defense to cruise past the Bulldogs.
Butler struck first with junior Elise Latham finding the net early to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. However, Butler scored an own goal right after to tie the game. Sophomore Eve McGrogan gave the Huskies the lead with an unassisted goal at 8:59, followed by a goal from Davis to make it 3-1. The UConn attack didn’t look back, notching two more goals to jump out to a 4-1 lead.
UConn Women’s Lacrosse takes on The University of Massachusetts for a back and forth battle in Storrs, Conn. on March, 1, 2025. The huskies showed fans the kind of energy the team will bring this season.
The Huskies showed no signs of slowing down in the second quarter after Davis assisted on two goals to extend the lead. Butler fought back, with freshman Makenna Evans scoring twice to cut into the deficit. Davis responded with two goals to complete a hat trick and rejuvenate the UConn attack. Connecticut scored five goals in the last three minutes of the quarter, including Davis’ fourth to bring the halftime score to 14-3.
The third quarter was a much lower-scoring affair, with both teams struggling to keep possession. Butler scored once off a free position attempt following a UConn foul, but that was the extent of their offense for most of the quarter. The Huskies’ defense held firm, and freshman Meghan O’Brien responded with her eighth goal of the season. The Bulldogs found the net once more with 0:14 left in the quarter, going into the fourth with the score 15-5.
Up ten in the last quarter, UConn continued to apply pressure on the Butler defense, with junior Barlow Clark-Schoeb netting an early goal to expand the Huskies lead to 16-5. Butler responded with back-to-back goals, cutting the lead to single digits. However, Connecticut responded quickly with two more goals of their own, both from sophomore Emma Dacey. The UConn defense remained solid, with saves from goalkeeper Tori Cini shutting down any hopes of Butler coming back. A late yellow card highlighted the Bulldogs’ frustrations as UConn closed out a commanding 18-7 victory.
Davis has proven to be a leader for the Huskies attack all year, putting up two strong performances in a row to propel the UConn offense. Supporting her, junior Karsyn Burnash netted a season-high three goals, while Dacey and McGrogan each had a pair. The Huskies dominated on draw controls, beating the Bulldogs 19-7 in that regard. UConn also outshot Butler 28-13, a testament to the defense’s ability to limit open shots and to force 17 turnovers.
The victory marked the end of a successful road trip before the Huskies face their toughest stretch yet. Coming up next is a matchup against No. 23 Denver, who has been a challenge for UConn in past years. The Huskies hope to build on this dominant performance as they prepare for a tough conference schedule ahead of them.