After a slow start to the season, UConn lacrosse has won three consecutive games after defeating New Hampshire 20-7.
The Huskies, 6-8 overall and 2-3 in conference, have won their last three by an average of 11 goals. The Wildcats, on the other hand, have now dropped their last five contests and boast a 4-10 record.
Freshman midfielder McKenna Merkel dazzled in the win, scoring a career-high four goals.
Two of her scores came early in the second half to keep Connecticut in control and give them a seven-goal lead early in the third.
New Hampshire’s Libby Boland opened the scoring less than two minutes in to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead. The goal marked the sophomore’s third consecutive game putting one in the net, and the first of four she recorded in the contest.
Five minutes later, Connecticut got on board. Senior Karsyn Burnash set sophomore attacker Lucia Smigiel up perfectly and her shot found the cage to even the ledger midway through the first.
Less than 40 seconds later, Rayea Davis scored after rebounding her own shot to make the score 2-1.
As the quarter dwindled down, Smigiel scored again to double the Huskies’ lead, 3-1.
Connecticut continued its run into the second quarter. Merkel’s first score came at the 13:18 mark of the second quarter off an Emma Dacey assist.
Neither team seemed to be able to find the net over the next ten minutes until Burnash made it 5-1 following a successful UConn clear attempt.
Minutes later, off another successful clear attempt, Merkel added to Connecticut’s goal total by whipping a shot past New Hampshire’s junior keeper, Emma Crater, 6-1.
In the final minutes of the half, Boland scored for the Wildcats and freshman Ava Palazzolo picked up another UC point off a free position attempt to make it 7-2 heading into the intermission.
After a break in the action, Connecticut scored four unanswered goals in four minutes to open their lead to 11-2.
During the run, sophomore Megan O’Brien picked up her fourth score over the last two games.
The attacker finished the game with two goals and her seventh multi-goal game of the season. Her two assists marked her highest since Feb. 14 against James Madison.
New Hampshire re-entered the scoring column with 9:57 to play in the third. Senior Rose Pavuk found Boland, who scored for the twenty-sixth time this season, 11-3.
The Wildcats’ momentum was quickly shut down about a minute later after O’Brien set Dacey up to score at the 8:53 mark.
O’Brien, Dacey and Davis each scored again in the final six minutes of the third for the Huskies. Sophomore Madison Sweeney also picked up her second score of the season during that stretch.
Junior Makayla Keys cut into the New Hampshire deficit during the stretch to cap off a quarter in which they were outscored 9-2. Despite the effort, the Wildcats still trailed 16-4 after 45 minutes of game action.
Senior Julia Gronda became the third Wildcat to score less than 30 seconds into the fourth to slim the deficit to 11.
Sweeney then scored two consecutive goals two minutes apart for UConn.
After a green card was assessed against the Huskies, Keys found the rack for UNH, 18-6. Boland also scored following back-to-back Pavuk misses.
To finish out the contest, junior Caitlyn Hubiak scored her first collegiate goal for Connecticut and Palazzolo finished out the scoring with 41 seconds on the clock.
The Huskies outshot the Wildcats 47 to 12, including a 32 to nine disparity in shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Sofia Oximana allowed four New Hampshire goals before being given the fourth quarter off.
Seven Huskies scored at least twice, and another three scored once.
UNH had three players score and Crater allowed at least 15 goals for a fourth consecutive game. Connecticut will look to extend their winning streak next Tuesday, April 21, at home against Harvard. Face-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. on UConn+.