University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Beats California, 12-9
4/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
STORRS, Conn. (April 14, 2006) - Junior Janet Williams (Reisterstown, Md.) scored a career-high four goals, all in the game's first 26 minutes, to push the University of Connecticut women's lacrosse team to a 12-9 win on Friday night at a soggy George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs. The Huskies up their mark to 4-8 on the year with the win while the Golden Bears fall to 5-8.
Junior Shannon Burke (Camillus, N.Y.) turned in a five-point night for the Huskies netting three goals and assisting on two more. The hat trick is her sixth in 12 games this year and gives Burke and even 30 tallies this spring to lead UConn. Meanwhile, Williams has now scored a total of 11 goals in her past five games after scoring just twice in her first 18 games as a Husky.
The Huskies took a quick 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest as junior Kristen Link (Slingerlands, N.Y.) and Williams scored goals just 37 seconds apart. Cal would bounce back and tie the score less than two minutes later after strikes by Mary Downs and Liz Reifsnyder. The goal was the first of three on the night by Reifsnyder while Laura Cavallo would add four of her own, plus an assist, to help pace the Bear attack.
UConn outscored Cal 7-2 over the first half's final 21:19 though to assume control of the contest. Williams, Burke and senior Abbey VanDeusen (Fayetteville, N.Y.) scored in a span of 2:18 to put UConn up 5-2. Williams and junior Bonnie Levin (Rose Valley, Pa.) answered a Cavallo goal and gave UConn a 7-3 cushion with 8:28 to go in the half. Cavallo scored again at 7:40 but late goals by Williams and Link, the latter coming with 1:29 to play in the half, sent UConn into the intermission with a comfortable 9-4 edge.
Undaunted, the Bears scored five times in the second half's first 12 minutes to draw within a single goal. Two goals each by Cavallo and Reifsnyder, along with one by Madeleine Dale, sandwiched around a UConn tally by junior Tori Joel (Bel Air, Md.), brought the score to 10-9 with 18:12 remaining in regulation. Burke gave UConn some breathing room at 11-9 with an unassisted goal at 17:43. After combining on 20 goals over the first 42:17 of play, neither team would score again for nearly 17 and a half minutes as the Huskies maintained their lead. With time winding down, Burke slipped in a tough-angle shot with 0:16 on the clock, to account for the 12-9 final score in UConn's fourth win on the season.
Senior Kristen Haldeman (Malvern, Pa.) went the distance in the net for UConn making 11 saves. Hilary Lynch stopped nine shots for Cal. Shots in the game were fairly even with UConn holding a 28-26 edge.
UConn returns to action on Tuesday afternoon when the Huskies travel to New Hampshire for a 3:00 p.m. contest.
