Spring Break
Lax rebounds, defeats UNH
Tim Ehrens
Issue date: 4/20/05 Section: Sports
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The Huskies cruised to a 14-7 victory over New Hampshire Tuesday at Morrone Stadium. The Huskies (10-3, 3-1 Big East) won their fourth straight game as the Wildcats (7-6, 2-0 America East) saw their three game winning streak snapped.
The day started well for the Huskies before they even set foot onto the field. UConn is now ranked No. 18 in the nation. Which ties the highest rank the Huskies have ever reached when they were ranked No. 18 in 2003.
The win is UConn's 10th on the season and matches their best season since 2000 when the Huskies finished 10-6.
The game was marked by big performances from sophomore Shannon Burke and senior Jacqui Hamilton. Burke was the star of the day, scoring four goals and adding an assist while Hamilton recorded three goals.
"[Burke and Hamilton] have consistently produced day in and day out and that's what we saw today," Rosen said. "Their play all over the field has been steady and effective all season."
UConn made their presence known offensively from the get-go, reeling off five unanswered goals in the first eight minutes of play. The Huskies never trailed in the game and were in a tie with UNH for only 6:34 in the first half until Burke scored and gave the lead permanently to the Huskies.
"We took a step today and started to get composed after about the first five minutes," Rosen said. "Today it became a little bit more about attacking as a team and taking our time and once we did that we found a lot of [opportunities]."
UConn dominated on defense, with UNH getting very few open shots as the Huskies stood their ground around the eight-meter area surrounding the goal. Jennifer Wong played the entire game in goal for the Huskies and had 10 saves.
"We spent the past couple days working on our team defense and communication and it showed itself today," Rosen said. "We were a lot more solid in defending the eight-meter [area] instead of trying to defend the entire field."
The Huskies played virtually mistake-free lacrosse, committing a season low six total fouls in the game with one in the first half and five in the second half. One yellow card was assessed to Tracy Mullaney, who contributed two goals and an assist on the day.
The leader for the Wildcats was Jill Albee, who scored two goals and added an assist for the losing team.
This season is shaping up to be a dream season for the Huskies, as they have already matched their most wins in a single season with three games to go. Most important, the Huskies are contending for a Big East title. The Huskies are currently second in the Big East standings at 3-1 behind conference leader Georgetown, who is at 4-0 in conference play.
The Huskies will play probably their most important game of the season on Saturday when they travel to Washington D.C. to play No. 8 Georgetown. A win against the Hoyas will secure at least a share of the Big East title, something the 9-year-old program has neither won nor contended for in team history.