Spring Break
Huskies stumble in first game under new coach
Max Jabbonsky
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: Sports
In the first half of Saturday's season-opener against Vermont, the women's lacrosse team seemed to take heed to the winning mentality and team-first attitude preached by coach Angela McMahon.
The game was a tale of two very different halves, however, as the Catamounts dominated time of possession after the break, outscoring the Huskies 7-2 in the second on their way to a 14-11 victory. Despite the loss, the Huskies showed an exponential amount of improvement from the team that went 1-15 a year ago.
Just three minutes into the game, junior midfielder Laura Eichert scored a goal to give UConn an early lead. The goal opened the scoring for the game as well as McMahon's tenure, which will be defined by an emphasis on team speed and prolific offenses, leading McMahon to note that "the passing up field and transition game has definitely been a strong point."
After senior Katy Ryan scored to give the Huskies a 2-0 advantage, Vermont quickly responded, scoring three goals in just over a minute to take a 3-2 lead. This proved to be the beginning of a back-and-forth first half, as UConn came back immediately when Kiersten Tupper set up fellow freshman M.E. Lapham's first collegiate goal.
After Vermont's Allison Pfohl scored the first of her three goals to regain the lead, UConn went on a 3-0 run to give themselves a two-score advantage. Of the three goals, the most impressive was set up when goalie Jenna Moulton hit Whitney Michele - last year's leading scorer - with a perfect outlet pass at midfield. Michele quickly relayed the ball downfield to Ryan, who was fouled on her shot attempt. On the ensuing free position shot, Ryan hit Tupper with a quick pass and Tupper beat Vermont net-minder Laura Barber for the score.
"That's the kind of thing we've been working on in practice," Eichert said. "We're always looking for opportunities to get down the field quickly and score in transition."
Trailing by a score of 9-7 at the half, Vermont coach Jen Johnson decided to pull Barber in favor of Olivia Hatfield, who made seven saves on nine shots in the second half, stifling the UConn attack that had been so successful in the first 30 minutes.
While Hatfield was successful in holding UConn to just a pair of second half goals, the persistence of the Vermont offense proved to be the difference in the game. Despite solid performances by Moulton and defenders Jessica Mucci, Meghan Nanfeldt and Carly Curran, the inability to clear the ball from UConn territory was the team's fatal flaw.
Along with Pfohl, Megan MacDonald and Kristen Millar also ended up with three goals each to lead the Catamounts, as the trio accounted for five of the six unanswered Vermont goals that ended the game.
Michele finished the game with three goals and Tupper recorded a game-high four assists for the Huskies, who will look to rebound from the loss this Wednesday on Long Island when they take on Hofstra.
The game was a tale of two very different halves, however, as the Catamounts dominated time of possession after the break, outscoring the Huskies 7-2 in the second on their way to a 14-11 victory. Despite the loss, the Huskies showed an exponential amount of improvement from the team that went 1-15 a year ago.
Just three minutes into the game, junior midfielder Laura Eichert scored a goal to give UConn an early lead. The goal opened the scoring for the game as well as McMahon's tenure, which will be defined by an emphasis on team speed and prolific offenses, leading McMahon to note that "the passing up field and transition game has definitely been a strong point."
After senior Katy Ryan scored to give the Huskies a 2-0 advantage, Vermont quickly responded, scoring three goals in just over a minute to take a 3-2 lead. This proved to be the beginning of a back-and-forth first half, as UConn came back immediately when Kiersten Tupper set up fellow freshman M.E. Lapham's first collegiate goal.
After Vermont's Allison Pfohl scored the first of her three goals to regain the lead, UConn went on a 3-0 run to give themselves a two-score advantage. Of the three goals, the most impressive was set up when goalie Jenna Moulton hit Whitney Michele - last year's leading scorer - with a perfect outlet pass at midfield. Michele quickly relayed the ball downfield to Ryan, who was fouled on her shot attempt. On the ensuing free position shot, Ryan hit Tupper with a quick pass and Tupper beat Vermont net-minder Laura Barber for the score.
"That's the kind of thing we've been working on in practice," Eichert said. "We're always looking for opportunities to get down the field quickly and score in transition."
Trailing by a score of 9-7 at the half, Vermont coach Jen Johnson decided to pull Barber in favor of Olivia Hatfield, who made seven saves on nine shots in the second half, stifling the UConn attack that had been so successful in the first 30 minutes.
While Hatfield was successful in holding UConn to just a pair of second half goals, the persistence of the Vermont offense proved to be the difference in the game. Despite solid performances by Moulton and defenders Jessica Mucci, Meghan Nanfeldt and Carly Curran, the inability to clear the ball from UConn territory was the team's fatal flaw.
Along with Pfohl, Megan MacDonald and Kristen Millar also ended up with three goals each to lead the Catamounts, as the trio accounted for five of the six unanswered Vermont goals that ended the game.
Michele finished the game with three goals and Tupper recorded a game-high four assists for the Huskies, who will look to rebound from the loss this Wednesday on Long Island when they take on Hofstra.
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