Vol. 9: UConn's on Cloud Nine
Vol. 9: UConn's on Cloud Nine
The Huskies have won nine straight games, clinched their second consecutive double-digit win season and become Denver’s biggest competition in the Big East.
Senior attacker Sydney Watson makes a move during a 20-8 win over Columbia on March 30. Photo courtesy: UConn Athletics.
No. 20 UConn was cooking against Marquette in the opening weekend of Big East play. Connecticut led, 4-0, just five minutes into the game when junior defender Ariana Kline caused a Marquette turnover. Junior attacker Kate Shaffer picked up the ground ball and sped upfield. She had two teammates to her right but fired it herself—a bounce shot that skipped past graduate goalie Amanda Rumsey: 5-0, UConn.
The goal was part of an unrelenting, fast start for UConn. At the same time, it looked effortless. In some ways, the goal was a microcosm of the Huskies’ 2022 season.
UConn would go on to beat Marquette, 18-15, and move to 10-1 on the year. Katie Woods’ team has won nine straight—a torrid stretch that has put the rest of the conference on notice.
Since a 13-7 loss to then-No. 13 James Madison on February 19, UConn has beaten UMass Lowell, UNH, UMass (now No. 17), Manhattan, Cornell, Albany, Hofstra, Columbia and Marquette. In that stretch, the Huskies averaged 18.67 goals per game.
The nine-game unbeaten streak is the longest in program history. The 10-1 start and No. 20 ranking are both UConn’s best since 2013 when the Huskies started 13-1 and were ranked as high as No. 16.
Senior attacker Sydney Watson has been front and center for the dream season. The Prince Frederick, Maryland, native was a IWLCA first-team All-American in 2021. She’s followed that up with 38 goals, 11 assists and 102 draw controls in 2022. She leads the Big East in draw controls per game (9.27), free-position percentage (55.6%) and shots per game (8.09). She is second in goals per game (3.45) and points per game (4.45) behind only Denver graduate attacker Bea Behrins (3.50, 4.50). With two more goals, Watson will set UConn’s goals record, which is currently held by Grace Nolan ’18 (186).
Watson hasn’t done it alone, though. Shaffer is close behind with 34 goals, and the two have a pair of terrific passers at their side. Senior attackers Stephanie Palmucci and Lia Laprise are third and fourth in the Big East in assists, respectively. Goalie Landyn White leads the conference in save percentage at 0.487.
With 10 wins already, 2022 is the 10th season in UConn history with double-digit victories. The record is 13 in 2013. And while the Huskies got off to a record start that year, they lost their final four games, including first-round matchups in the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
With a few more wins, the 2022 squad could match the 2013 total. Add a tournament win or two, and they could shake some demons and secure the best season in program history.
On Saturday, UConn will look to keep it rolling against their toughest opponent yet: the Big East preseason favorite, No. 8 Denver (11-1).
Other Storylines to Know:
1. No. 9 Maryland rights the ship against Cordingley’s old team. Each of Maryland’s games against Johns Hopkins were decided by one goal last year, even the teams’ Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup. The Terrapins won all three of them: first with a Hannah Leubecker goal in overtime, then with a Grace Griffin game-winner and finally by withstanding a ferocious 4-1 Blue Jays run at the end of the second half.
Things weren’t nearly as tense for Cathy Reese this past weekend. Bouncing back from its shocking loss to James Madison, Maryland followed up a win over Georgetown by coasting to a 17-6 victory against Johns Hopkins. It was Terps leading scorer Aurora Cordingley’s first game versus her old team. The graduate attacker netted a pair of goals. She was part of a balanced Maryland effort that saw five different players find the back of the cage at least twice.
Johns Hopkins transfer Aurora Cordingley celebrates one of two Maryland goals against her old team in a 17-6 victory on April 2. Photo courtesy: Maryland Athletics.
Perhaps the story of the game, however, was goalie Emily Sterling, who made a career-high 12 saves and allowed just one goal in the second half. Sterling also stood on her head against Johns Hopkins in the teams’ Big Ten Tournament showdown last year, when she shut the Blue Jays out in the opening 30 minutes with five stops. Saturday’s win went down as the 750th program victory for the Terrapins. Unsurprisingly, they are the first school to reach that mark.
2. There are no signs of No. 7 Duke slowing down. With arguably the most high-powered offense in the sport, you can afford a slow start every now and then. That’s the luxury Duke has. The potent Blue Devils were trailing Virginia, 6-4, more than halfway through the second quarter Saturday in Durham. Then Kirsten Kimel’s team kicked things into gear, scoring seven consecutive goals in the span of 13:17.
During the second and third quarters, Duke won 9-of-14 draw controls and outshot UVA, 16-9. The Cavaliers clawed back within three goals of Duke in the fourth period, but the Blue Devils restored their five-goal cushion when all was said and done. Sophomore attacker Katie DeSimone reached the 100-point milestone for her career, and graduate middie Abby Landry piled up a career-high four points (3 goals, 1 assist).
Duke is 13-1, which is its best 14-game start since 2015. That’s the last time the Blue Devils reached the Final Four. They could have another run in them this year.
Duke sophomore attacker Katie DeSimone looks to goal against Virginia during the Blue Devils’ 13-8 win on April 2. Photo courtesy: Dana Gentry/Duke Athletics.
3. No. 14 Michigan is dropping the ball after its auspicious start. Michigan was our biggest winner of opening weekend. You could even make a case for the Wolverines as the biggest winner of the season’s first month. They started 7-0 and, in the process, beat Notre Dame—the No. 5 team in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll—and Arizona State, which has thrown its hat in for the Pac-12 race.
And after giving now-No. 8 Denver all it could handle, Michigan rebounded with wins over Johns Hopkins and Villanova to improve to 9-1. Since, however, the Wolverines’ promising 2022 campaign has taken a drastic turn. They’ve lost three straight ranked games, including a pair in Big Ten play. Most recently, Michigan dropped a home game to No. 13 USC.
The Wolverines staked themselves to a 4-3 lead over the Women of Troy in the opening frame yet only found the back of the cage twice over the next two periods. Michigan’s scoring struggles have been the theme of the past month. The Wolverines averaged 16.4 goals per game amid its perfect seven-game start. Over their last six contests, though, they’ve averaged just 8.7. They haven’t logged more than 10 goals in a game since March 6.
4. Kennesaw State, Siena Gore extend winning streak to five. The Kennesaw State Owls have already put together the best season in program history. With a 9-4 record, Kennesaw State has more wins this year than in any other season since the program’s debut in 2013. With just one more win, the Owls will clinch their first winning season ever.
Kennesaw State started Atlantic Sun conference play with a 19-10 win at Stetson on Saturday. The win was the Owls’ fifth straight, and Kennesaw has averaged 18 goals per game and a 10.4 goal margin of victory in that stretch. Key for their success has been possession and offensive efficiency. The Owls lead the Atlantic Sun in draw control percentage (54%), shot percentage (50.6%) and free-position percentage (51.6%). A huge reason why is their star graduate midfielder, Siena Gore.
It’s hard to overstate how impressive Gore has been. She leads the country in goals (64) and points (79). She is first in Kennesaw State program history in starts, points, goals, shots attempted, shots on goal, draw controls, woman-up goals and free-position goals. She has 340 points in her career, while second in the Kennesaw State record book had 189 (Sydney Farwick ’17). Gore has 113 free-position goals and counting, 78 more than second (Izzy Palermo ’20, 35).
Virtually every conceivable record—both for Kennesaw State as a team and Gore as a player—has been broken in 2022. The Owls are playing with house money. Can they parlay that into a strong April and possibly an upset of conference favorite Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun tournament? It certainly seems doable.
5. UMBC is lurking in the America East. Just like Kennesaw State in the Atlantic Sun, UMBC is second place and is sneaking under the radar in the America East. The Retrievers have won four of their last five games, with the lone defeat coming at then-No. 20 Johns Hopkins, 17-6. UMBC is 7-4 overall, and two of their losses have been by three goals or fewer (Mount St. Mary’s, 10-9, and then-No. 18 Temple, 14-11).
UMBC junior midfielder Megan Halczuk leaps for a draw control during a 17-6 loss to Johns Hopkins on March 29. Photo courtesy: Patty Finch via UMBC Athletics.
On Saturday, UMBC took on UMass Lowell and won a back-and-forth game, 12-11. The Retrievers scored six of the game’s final eight goals, with three coming from redshirt freshman attacker Kolby Weedon. Junior attacker Claire Bockstie played late-game hero, scoring a woman-up goal with just 15 seconds left in the fourth to give UMBC the lead and the win.
The tandem of Bockstie and graduate goalie Lexi Roberts has been central for UMBC all year. Bockstie leads the conference in goals (44) and points (57), and Roberts is first in saves (85). Weedon has earned four America East Rookie of the Week nods, too. She has scored nine goals over her last three games.
Atop the America East, No. 5 Stony Brook has won the conference regular season and tournament titles every year since 2013, excluding the 2020 COVID season. The Seawolves were picked as the preseason favorites and earned six of the seven first-place votes. The only other team to receive a first-place vote? That’s right, UMBC.
6. Stonehill is taking things to the next level. First it was Lindenwood. Now it’s Stonehill. The Skyhawks became the second women’s lacrosse program to reclassify from Division II to Division I for the 2023 season. Stonehill’s transition is part of the school’s move to the Northeast Conference. All 23 of the Skyhawks’ varsity programs are making the switch to the NEC. Stonehill, which won NCAA titles at the DII level in 2003 and 2005, is 7-2 this season.
Weekly Focus:
FOLLOWING THE NORTH STAR: BC’S FREE-POSITION PROWESS…
Wind it up. Shoot. Celebrate. Repeat.
You know how it goes for Charlotte North. She’s the best in the game when it comes to free-position chances. The graduate attacker has a laser for a shot. Even if goalies guess the right way, like Virginia Tech’s Morgan Berman did here, they’re often not quick enough to get their stick in the right place at the right time.
It was fitting that North set the NCAA single-season goals record with a rocket from the eight-meter arc during last year’s National Championship. Because it’s the shot she’s best known for.
But perhaps it should be the shot BC, as a team, is best known for. In addition to the fact that North has four more free-position goals (22) than any other player in the country this season, the Eagles sit atop the nation with 57 free-position goals and rank fifth in free-position percentage (53.8%).
Fifteen different BC players have scored on a free-position attempt this season. That list even includes defender Hollie Schleicher. Four Eagles have five or more such goals. Behind North is Belle Smith with eight strikes from the eight meter.
What’s more, BC has registered five or more free-position goals in seven of its 12 games this year. It’s a big part of the Eagles’ offense.
“It's super important because it's basically like a foul shot in basketball,” senior attacker Caitlyn Mossman said after last week’s victory over Dartmouth. “It's a 1-v-1 opportunity to go in. So we're just working on getting off the line quick and trying to finish those.”
BC superstar attacker Charlotte North rips one of her three free-position goals amid an 18-8 win over Virginia Tech on April 2. Photo courtesy: BC Athletics.
Numbers to Know:
1,740 — the number of goals ACC teams have scored this year, by far the most of any conference. Second is the Patriot League with 1,379. The Atlantic 10 is third (1,311), and the MAAC is fourth (1,224). The next power conference behind the ACC is the Big Ten in fifth with 1,130.
10 — the high number of points scored by a player this past week. JMU sophomore attacker Isabella Peterson had eight goals and two assists versus Hofstra, and High Point senior attacker Abby Hormes had seven goals and three assists at Wofford.
3 — the number of ACC teams that lead the country in scoring offense and scoring margin. Duke has the top scoring offense with 18.21 goals per game and the top scoring margin at +9.43. North Carolina is second in both categories at 18.08 and 9.42, respectively. BC is third in goals per game at 18.00 and third in scoring margin at 8.92.
Tewaaraton Watch:
The second round of Tewaaraton Award watch list additions came out last Friday. Seven women were featured, including a trio of freshmen: midfielder Rachel Clark (UVA) and attackers Ashley Humphrey (Stanford) and Emma LoPinto (Florida).
Humphrey, technically a redshirt freshman, is third in the country in points per game (6.00) and is Stanford’s primary feeder with 55 assists. To put that in perspective, no other player this year has more than 34 assists. Clark leads all first-year players with 42 goals. And LoPinto isn’t too, too far behind with 33.
Another big name on the latest watch list is San Diego State senior attacker Deanna Balsama, who ranks third nationally in goals per game (4.55). We’ll get a really good look at Balsama the next few weeks as she prepares to take on Big Ten stalwarts Northwestern and Rutgers.
POINTS PER GAME LEADERS
GOALS PER GAME LEADERS
NOTE: Stats correct through April 5.
Inside Lacrosse Poll
Screenshots pulled from insidelacrosse.com.
The top seven stayed frozen this week. Surprise, surprise. Denver and Maryland flipped places at No. 8 and No. 9, and both still have just one loss. The Pac-12 continued to impress, as USC moved from No. 17 to No. 13. No. 25 Arizona State skyrocketed into their first ranking of the year after a win over No. 15 Rutgers. Stanford also gained three spots and is ranked No. 22 with a 8-5 record. No team dropped more than three spots in the rankings this week. The Irish fell from No. 15 to No. 18 and are still ranked in the Top 20 with a 4-7 record. Notre Dame is one of three ranked teams with a losing record, along with No. 16 UVA (6-7) and No. 25 Arizona State (5-6).
What’s Ahead?
No. 15 Rutgers @ No. 3 Northwestern, April 7, 8:30 p.m.
No. 22 Stanford @ No. 25 Arizona State, April 8, 7 p.m.
UMBC @ Vermont, April 9, 12 p.m.
Harvard @ Yale, April 9, 1 p.m.
No. 20 UConn @ No. 8 Denver, April 9, 2 p.m.
No. 1 UNC @ No. 4 Syracuse, April 9, 4 p.m.
No. 19 Richmond @ No. 17 UMass, April 10, 1 p.m.
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