Spring Break
Lacrosse looking for first win against Hofstra
Max Jabbonsky
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: Sports
After dropping their season opener in a hard-fought loss to Vermont, the women's lacrosse team is faced with the challenge of taking on a very talented Hofstra team Wednesday afternoon in Hempstead, N.Y.
While the team admittedly became complacent during the losses that came regularly last season, Wednesday's game will be the first test of the newfound competitiveness that came hand-in-hand with first year head coach Angela McMahon. McMahon's short stint at UConn has been defined by her desire to promote a "culture of winning" within an inconsistent program.
McMahon will square off against Hofstra coach Abby Morgan, who is a familiar face in the UConn lacrosse community. As a member of the class of 2001, the two-time Husky captain was one of the premier players during the program's infancy. As a junior, she was eighth in the nation in assists and was honored with the Husky Award for "dedication to the Connecticut program."
Now a coach, her Hofstra team is coming off of a mediocre 7-9 campaign in 2008 and has returned all but four players from last year's team. The returning players include four members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason All-Conference Team in Corrine Gandolfi, Stephanie Rice, Lauren Whitcomb and Alysse Ruszkowski, giving them the most All-CAA players of any team. These four will be the core of a team that is looking to rebound from last year's season and regain the CAA Championship, which they won in 2007 during Morgan's first season at the helm.
In their first game - an 18-5 victory against Iona - they looked dominant from the start, opening the game on an 11-0 run in the first half and never looking back.
Hofstra's offense will be led by Gandolfi, who scored five times and added two assists as the Pride overpowered Iona on Saturday. The seven points were good enough for Gandolfi to garner a CAA Player of the Week recognition for her performance.
In order to combat the Hofstra attack, McMahon's squad will lean heavily on the services of junior goaltender Jenna Moulton and the Husky defense. The Huskies' defenders will have their hands full with the prolific Hofstra offense, but they will look for support from notable defenders Megan Nanfeldt and Jessica Mucci, who recorded three ground balls against Vermont.
While the team admittedly became complacent during the losses that came regularly last season, Wednesday's game will be the first test of the newfound competitiveness that came hand-in-hand with first year head coach Angela McMahon. McMahon's short stint at UConn has been defined by her desire to promote a "culture of winning" within an inconsistent program.
McMahon will square off against Hofstra coach Abby Morgan, who is a familiar face in the UConn lacrosse community. As a member of the class of 2001, the two-time Husky captain was one of the premier players during the program's infancy. As a junior, she was eighth in the nation in assists and was honored with the Husky Award for "dedication to the Connecticut program."
Now a coach, her Hofstra team is coming off of a mediocre 7-9 campaign in 2008 and has returned all but four players from last year's team. The returning players include four members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason All-Conference Team in Corrine Gandolfi, Stephanie Rice, Lauren Whitcomb and Alysse Ruszkowski, giving them the most All-CAA players of any team. These four will be the core of a team that is looking to rebound from last year's season and regain the CAA Championship, which they won in 2007 during Morgan's first season at the helm.
In their first game - an 18-5 victory against Iona - they looked dominant from the start, opening the game on an 11-0 run in the first half and never looking back.
Hofstra's offense will be led by Gandolfi, who scored five times and added two assists as the Pride overpowered Iona on Saturday. The seven points were good enough for Gandolfi to garner a CAA Player of the Week recognition for her performance.
In order to combat the Hofstra attack, McMahon's squad will lean heavily on the services of junior goaltender Jenna Moulton and the Husky defense. The Huskies' defenders will have their hands full with the prolific Hofstra offense, but they will look for support from notable defenders Megan Nanfeldt and Jessica Mucci, who recorded three ground balls against Vermont.
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