University of Connecticut Athletics
Lacrosse Sets Sights on BIG EAST Opening on the Road
4/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 1, 2010
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut ended the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 7-2 record after winning an 11-10 decision at Holy Cross on March 24. With the momentum of seven wins, including a 5-1 record in March, the Huskies open the BIG EAST slate with games at Rutgers and at Georgetown.
Connecticut will first head to Piscataway for a noon game versus the Scarlet Knights on Saturday before making the trek to the nation's capital for a 1:30 p.m. match-up against Georgetown on April 5.
The Huskies lost both meetings with Georgetown and Rutgers a season ago and trail in the all-time series with both institutions. UConn looks to use its balanced offense and stingy defense to start the conference schedule with as much momentum as it possessed in the non-conference season this year.
Sophomore M.E. Lapham (Cazenovia, N.Y.) remains among the nationally-ranked scorers with a team-best 36 points, averaging 4.0 goals per game. Lapham is 11th in the nation in that category while her 28 draw controls leads the Huskies and is 22nd in the NCAA. Overall, UConn is second in the nation in draw controls averaging 15.44 per game entering Friday's BIG EAST opener.
Lapham headlines a balanced attack for the Huskies this season as there are six double-digit scorers, including classmate Kiersten Tupper (Camillus, N.Y.) with a team-best 13 assists. Tupper has scored 12 goals this season and is third in overall points with 25 total.
Redshirt senior Ashley Mitchelides (Hudson, Ohio) is second on the team with 29 points, scoring 18 goals and adding 11 assists. She has more than doubled her career total having entered her final season with 13 career points.
Junior Jillian Cerar (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and redshirt junior Lauren Sparks (West Chester, Pa.) round out the 20 or more point scorers this season with 22 and 20, respectively. Cerar is second on the team with 19 goals while Sparks has exceeded expectations after sitting out the year with 17 goals.
Senior Katie Devaney (Fayetteville, N.Y.) rounds out the double-figure scorers with five goals and six assists for 11 points thus far. Primarily providing an offensive threat off the bench, Devaney needs just two more points to match her career-best season effort of 13 points set as a sophomore.
The Huskies balanced attack will be challenged against both Rutgers and Georgetown as each have already opened conference play. Rutgers is in search of its first BIG EAST win after losing games to Loyola (Md.) and Syracuse. Georgetown is one of four squads with a 1-0 conference record after wining its opening game over Villanova, 20-7. The Hoyas are the first nationally-ranked opponent the Huskies will face this season while Rutgers has fallen in and out of the national polls throughout 2010. Georgetown is ranked ninth and 16th in the IWLCA and INSIDE Lacrosse national polls, respectively. Rutgers received votes in the IWLCA Poll on March 29.
UConn hosts its next three games following the weekend away, opening the conference home season with Syracuse on April 9. That game, scheduled to start at 4 p.m., is the Huskies' Friends of Jaclyn game.
