Spring Break
Big East hopes take hit with RU loss
Max Jabbonsky
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Sports
The weather didn't do much to help the struggling offense of the UConn women's lacrosse team, as the Huskies fell to Rutgers in a sloppy, rain-soaked 11-6 game on Saturday
After falling behind 6-2 in the first half, the Huskies went on a 4-0 run to tie the score, capped by an unassisted score from freshman attacker Kiersten Tupper with six minutes to go in the opening period. Unfortunately for the Huskies, however, that wound up being their last goal of the afternoon and fell to 2-4 in the Big East and 2-12 overall.
"The rain may have had something to do with the lack of offense," said senior midfielder Whitney Michele. "But we can't make excuses, it was the same for both sides. We just couldn't get anything going."
After Rutgers scored two unanswered goals to end the half with a 8-6 lead, UConn pulled freshman goalie Anna Wallingford in favor of experienced junior Jenna Moulton, and the defense responded. Moulton made five saves while holding the Scarlet Knights (7-8, 2-3) to just three second-half scores.
Despite the defense's effort, the UConn attack was unable to match the output of Rutgers sophomore midfielder Jennifer Schmitt and the rest of the Scarlet Knights. Schmitt scored four times, including twice in a row to open the second half. Her career-high total was enough to make up for a relatively quiet game by Rutgers leading scorer junior midfielder Brooke Cantwell, who scored an early goal but was kept off the board for the rest of the game.
Cantwell's subpar performance was consistent with the overall theme of the game, which was summed up by play that was as messy as the natural grass turf of Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. UConn's offensive ineptitude was, in large part, due to the team's 11 turnovers in the second half, compared to just three in the first.
"We didn't control the ball well in the second half and, ultimately, that had a lot to do with the fact that we couldn't score," said UConn junior midfielder Laura Eichert.
The game also featured very physical play from the Rutgers squad, who were called for 30 fouls.
"If nothing else, [the fouling] just slowed the pace of the game," Eichert said. "It seemed like we were starting and stopping every play."
With the win, Rutgers moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Big East, the last spot for teams with a hope to take part in postseason play. After the loss, the Huskies are now eliminated from playoff contention with only one in-conference game remaining, next Saturday at Notre Dame.
On Wednesday, UConn will play its final home game of the season when the Huskies host Holy Cross. It will be the last ever game in Storrs for Michele and the team's other seniors.
"It's going to be emotional," she said. "But there wouldn't be a better way to say goodbye then with a win in our last home game. Needless to say, we're all pretty excited for the next two games and a chance to finish up with a pair of wins."
After falling behind 6-2 in the first half, the Huskies went on a 4-0 run to tie the score, capped by an unassisted score from freshman attacker Kiersten Tupper with six minutes to go in the opening period. Unfortunately for the Huskies, however, that wound up being their last goal of the afternoon and fell to 2-4 in the Big East and 2-12 overall.
"The rain may have had something to do with the lack of offense," said senior midfielder Whitney Michele. "But we can't make excuses, it was the same for both sides. We just couldn't get anything going."
After Rutgers scored two unanswered goals to end the half with a 8-6 lead, UConn pulled freshman goalie Anna Wallingford in favor of experienced junior Jenna Moulton, and the defense responded. Moulton made five saves while holding the Scarlet Knights (7-8, 2-3) to just three second-half scores.
Despite the defense's effort, the UConn attack was unable to match the output of Rutgers sophomore midfielder Jennifer Schmitt and the rest of the Scarlet Knights. Schmitt scored four times, including twice in a row to open the second half. Her career-high total was enough to make up for a relatively quiet game by Rutgers leading scorer junior midfielder Brooke Cantwell, who scored an early goal but was kept off the board for the rest of the game.
Cantwell's subpar performance was consistent with the overall theme of the game, which was summed up by play that was as messy as the natural grass turf of Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. UConn's offensive ineptitude was, in large part, due to the team's 11 turnovers in the second half, compared to just three in the first.
"We didn't control the ball well in the second half and, ultimately, that had a lot to do with the fact that we couldn't score," said UConn junior midfielder Laura Eichert.
The game also featured very physical play from the Rutgers squad, who were called for 30 fouls.
"If nothing else, [the fouling] just slowed the pace of the game," Eichert said. "It seemed like we were starting and stopping every play."
With the win, Rutgers moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Big East, the last spot for teams with a hope to take part in postseason play. After the loss, the Huskies are now eliminated from playoff contention with only one in-conference game remaining, next Saturday at Notre Dame.
On Wednesday, UConn will play its final home game of the season when the Huskies host Holy Cross. It will be the last ever game in Storrs for Michele and the team's other seniors.
"It's going to be emotional," she said. "But there wouldn't be a better way to say goodbye then with a win in our last home game. Needless to say, we're all pretty excited for the next two games and a chance to finish up with a pair of wins."
Be the first to comment on this story