Spring Break
Lacrosse comes up just short vs. Brown
Max Jabbonsky
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: Sports
For any team, the ultimate goal is simple: win games. The women's lacrosse team has been unable to achieve that goal in 2009, with no loss more heartbreaking than the 14-13, double-overtime thriller against Brown on Saturday.
The Huskies (0-9) seemed to be in control for the entire game, as they were able to stave off several Brown comeback attempts, holding a one-goal advantage with under a minute to play in regulation. As the clock counted down, Brown was able to pry the ball from UConn's Katie Devaney and quickly advanced the ball down field.
With 17 seconds left on the clock, Kelly Robinson beat UConn goalie Anna Wallingford with an unassisted goal. Shortly thereafter, Brown controlled the draw, stormed down the field and beat the buzzer with a shot that just barely missed over the top of the net, and the game went into overtime.
In the first overtime period, Brown's Lauren Vitkus found teammate Katelyn Carro - who finished with a game-high six goals - for the score, giving the Bears a 13-12 advantage. The UConn bench, which was more energetic and vocal than it had been the entire season, looked stunned. The momentum had completely swung.
And then, in the second OT period, freshman attacker M.E. Lapham was able to find the back of the net for her third goal of the game and send it into another, "sudden victory" overtime.
Running on fumes, the UConn defense refused to allow the Brown attack any clean looks. As they ran in pursuit of Kaela McGilloway, however, Vitkus was able to slip through the cracks and was wide open in front of the net. Uncontested, Vitkus shot and scored, ending UConn's chance at its first victory.
As the Bears stormed the field in celebration, the UConn players walked off slowly in disbelief.
"Our record isn't indicative of the way we're playing," said Whitney Michele, who finished the game with two goals and an assist. "We keep coming up just short."
"There were so many things that could have gone either way," Laura Eichert, who had a shot ricochet off of the cross bar, said. "It was a completely even game the whole way."
Despite being the team's best overall performance of the season, UConn did end up hurting itself by turning the ball over 23 times, giving Brown the opportunity to get back in the game.
"[Wallingford] played so well, got so many big saves," Michele said. "We just had trouble controlling the ball as well as we could have. That had a lot to do with the outcome of the game, and it's definitely something we're going to improve on."
After coming so close to their first win of the season, the team will look to regroup in preparation for its next contest. In their second Big East game of the season, the Huskies will play host to Cincinnati, which is in its first season as a member of the conference, on Saturday.
The Huskies (0-9) seemed to be in control for the entire game, as they were able to stave off several Brown comeback attempts, holding a one-goal advantage with under a minute to play in regulation. As the clock counted down, Brown was able to pry the ball from UConn's Katie Devaney and quickly advanced the ball down field.
With 17 seconds left on the clock, Kelly Robinson beat UConn goalie Anna Wallingford with an unassisted goal. Shortly thereafter, Brown controlled the draw, stormed down the field and beat the buzzer with a shot that just barely missed over the top of the net, and the game went into overtime.
In the first overtime period, Brown's Lauren Vitkus found teammate Katelyn Carro - who finished with a game-high six goals - for the score, giving the Bears a 13-12 advantage. The UConn bench, which was more energetic and vocal than it had been the entire season, looked stunned. The momentum had completely swung.
And then, in the second OT period, freshman attacker M.E. Lapham was able to find the back of the net for her third goal of the game and send it into another, "sudden victory" overtime.
Running on fumes, the UConn defense refused to allow the Brown attack any clean looks. As they ran in pursuit of Kaela McGilloway, however, Vitkus was able to slip through the cracks and was wide open in front of the net. Uncontested, Vitkus shot and scored, ending UConn's chance at its first victory.
As the Bears stormed the field in celebration, the UConn players walked off slowly in disbelief.
"Our record isn't indicative of the way we're playing," said Whitney Michele, who finished the game with two goals and an assist. "We keep coming up just short."
"There were so many things that could have gone either way," Laura Eichert, who had a shot ricochet off of the cross bar, said. "It was a completely even game the whole way."
Despite being the team's best overall performance of the season, UConn did end up hurting itself by turning the ball over 23 times, giving Brown the opportunity to get back in the game.
"[Wallingford] played so well, got so many big saves," Michele said. "We just had trouble controlling the ball as well as we could have. That had a lot to do with the outcome of the game, and it's definitely something we're going to improve on."
After coming so close to their first win of the season, the team will look to regroup in preparation for its next contest. In their second Big East game of the season, the Huskies will play host to Cincinnati, which is in its first season as a member of the conference, on Saturday.
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