Spring Break
Lax doubles up on Big East foes
Max Jabbonsky
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Sports
Despite their underwhelming 0-9 record, this weekend could potentially spark new life into the women's lacrosse team, as they prepare for the bulk of their Big East play when Cincinnati and Louisville come to town.
The first win has been an elusive one for UConn, as they are coming off of a gut-wrenching, double-overtime loss to Brown on Saturday. The Huskies realize that the upcoming games provide a chance to make some in-conference noise and salvage their season.
"Ideally, we'd be heading into this weekend with a few wins under our belt," said senior midfielder Whitney Michele said. "But our focus has never shifted and we still have the opportunity to win some games and get into the [Big East] tournament."
In the game against Brown, Michele continued her stellar play with two goals and an assist, but the headliners of the afternoon were three freshmen. Leading scorer Kiersten Tupper scored four times, while M.E. Lapham added a hat trick of her own, including a clutch, game-tying shot with less than a minute to go in the first overtime. On defense, goalie Anna Wallingford made 13 saves, keeping the Huskies within reach of their first victory.
At 4 p.m. on Friday, the 2-year-old Cincinnati (5-3) program will take on the Huskies for their first Big East game in history. Despite the team's youth - Ohio University transfer Lindsay Marshall is the team's lone senior - Coach Lellie Swords has her players riding high after a dominant 18-3 victory against Fresno State. The Bearcats' scoring was led by freshman Laura Simanski, who contributed four goals to the win. Containing Simanski will be high on the UConn defense's list of priorities, as she has already proved herself as a prolific scorer, finding the back of the net 26 times in just eight games.
The Cincinnati defense is anchored by another freshman, goalie Katherine Russo, who has been named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll twice in her first season. She has only allowed six goals per contest for the past three games, and opponents have scored more than 10 goals on two occasions.
After Cincinnati leaves town, the Huskies will have to immediately prepare to host a 6-1 Louisville team Sunday at 11:15 a.m. The Cardinals' Bergan Foley scored seven goals in last year's match-up against the Huskies en route to being the nation's leading scorer with an impressive 4.07 goals per game as a freshman. There has been no sophomore slump for Foley in 2009, as she has scored 30 points (27 goals, three assists) in just six games played.
Three of Foley's classmates are also having high-scoring seasons, as fellow sophomores Liz Lovejoy (20), Lianne Bobal (18) and Emily Dashiell (15) have all found the net with ease for Louisville. Come Sunday, Wallingford and the UConn defense will have their hands full with this quartet of talented scorers.
"We have two big games against tough opponents," Michele said. "We know if we execute well, we have a good chance to come away with wins."
The first win has been an elusive one for UConn, as they are coming off of a gut-wrenching, double-overtime loss to Brown on Saturday. The Huskies realize that the upcoming games provide a chance to make some in-conference noise and salvage their season.
"Ideally, we'd be heading into this weekend with a few wins under our belt," said senior midfielder Whitney Michele said. "But our focus has never shifted and we still have the opportunity to win some games and get into the [Big East] tournament."
In the game against Brown, Michele continued her stellar play with two goals and an assist, but the headliners of the afternoon were three freshmen. Leading scorer Kiersten Tupper scored four times, while M.E. Lapham added a hat trick of her own, including a clutch, game-tying shot with less than a minute to go in the first overtime. On defense, goalie Anna Wallingford made 13 saves, keeping the Huskies within reach of their first victory.
At 4 p.m. on Friday, the 2-year-old Cincinnati (5-3) program will take on the Huskies for their first Big East game in history. Despite the team's youth - Ohio University transfer Lindsay Marshall is the team's lone senior - Coach Lellie Swords has her players riding high after a dominant 18-3 victory against Fresno State. The Bearcats' scoring was led by freshman Laura Simanski, who contributed four goals to the win. Containing Simanski will be high on the UConn defense's list of priorities, as she has already proved herself as a prolific scorer, finding the back of the net 26 times in just eight games.
The Cincinnati defense is anchored by another freshman, goalie Katherine Russo, who has been named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll twice in her first season. She has only allowed six goals per contest for the past three games, and opponents have scored more than 10 goals on two occasions.
After Cincinnati leaves town, the Huskies will have to immediately prepare to host a 6-1 Louisville team Sunday at 11:15 a.m. The Cardinals' Bergan Foley scored seven goals in last year's match-up against the Huskies en route to being the nation's leading scorer with an impressive 4.07 goals per game as a freshman. There has been no sophomore slump for Foley in 2009, as she has scored 30 points (27 goals, three assists) in just six games played.
Three of Foley's classmates are also having high-scoring seasons, as fellow sophomores Liz Lovejoy (20), Lianne Bobal (18) and Emily Dashiell (15) have all found the net with ease for Louisville. Come Sunday, Wallingford and the UConn defense will have their hands full with this quartet of talented scorers.
"We have two big games against tough opponents," Michele said. "We know if we execute well, we have a good chance to come away with wins."
Be the first to comment on this story