Lacrosse has not defeated Massachusetts in more than a decade, and when the two teams faced off against each other Sunday – the story was no different.
The Colonials trailed for the entire matchup and were unable to keep up with the offensive prowess of the Minutewomen, dropping the contest 21–8 for their third consecutive loss.
Massachusetts (11-3, 6-0 A-10) – the defending Atlantic 10 champions – entered the afternoon on a six-game win streak after downing George Mason Friday. So despite the loss, head coach Tracy Coyne was still pleased with some aspects of her squad’s performance.
“We were looking for victories in different ways outside of the outcome,” Coyne said. “When I saw our determination and our competitiveness on the field today, I was really pleased with how they were approaching the challenge.”
GW (9-5, 2-4 A-10) was led by senior attacker Jocelyn Donohue, who netted two goals, and freshman goalkeeper Jenna Oler, who recorded 16 saves in the loss. Donahue leads the team with 37 goals on the year, bringing her just one shy of 100 total on her career.
The Minutewomen asserted their offensive dominance from the start, scoring five unanswered goals in the first ten minutes of play.
The Colonials got on the board with 19 minutes left the half after a pass from sophomore attacker Christine Weber was finished by Caitlin Concannon.
Weber picked up GW’s second goal of the game when she drew Massachusetts goaltender sophomore Lauren Hiller out of the crease and scored in the open net to cut the Massachusetts lead to 5–2 with 16 minutes before the break.
After the two sides traded goals, the Minutewomen broke away before halftime with four consecutive goals – lifting their advantage to seven scores.
Sophomore midfielder Katie Quinn got one back for the Colonials, but Massachusetts quickly responded seconds before the halftime buzzer to secure an 11-4 lead entering the second half. Quinn said the Minutewomen’s dynamic and interchangable style of play made them a difficult team to challenge in the defensive zone throughout the afternoon.
“They can drive, they can cut, they can do it all,” Quinn said. “I think in the second half our main goal was to disrupt that as best as we can and get some knock-downs.”
Donahue contributed both of her tallies just minutes into the second half, but the Massachusetts offense scored four back-to-back goals to take a 15-6 lead.
Midway through the second half, senior goalkeeper Adele Wise took over for Oler in the net – where she recorded three saves in her time between the pipes.
Despite the Minutewomen’s scoring dominance, the Colonials continued to attempt mounting offensive attacks. A goal from freshman midfielder Allie Scannapieco gave GW its eighth and final score with seven minutes left in the contest.
GW returns to action Friday when the Colonials host Saint Joseph’s at 3 p.m.
