University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
12-7
University of Virginia
9-8
Huskies Fall to Virginia in NCAA's
5/14/2021 8:07:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The UConn women's lacrosse team fell to the No. 11/16 nationally ranked Virginia Cavaliers, 19-13, Friday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Arlotta Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind.Â
The Huskies see their season come to an end with a 12-7 overall record, with their 12 wins tying the school record for wins in a season. Friday's NCAA appearance was the second in program history and the first since the 2013 season.
UConn junior Grace Coon (Marcellus, N.Y.) finished with four goals and an assist for a team-high five point afternoon. Coon finishes a break-out junior season 41 goals, second highest on the team. Senior Sydney Watson (Prince Fredrick, Md.) finished with a hat-trick in the loss and added an assist and three draw controls to her totals. She ends her season with a team-leading 56 goals, 13 assists and 136 draw controls. Â
The Huskies gave UVA all they could handle early in the game to take a 3-2 at 23:43 as sophomore Kate Shaffer (West Hartford, Conn.), Watson and senior Stephanie Palmucci (Herndon, Va.) scored the game's first three goals for UConn. Coon made it 4-3 UConn at 22:42 but the Husky offense would go silent over the next five minutes as UVA ran off three-straight to take a lead they would never again give back.
Sophomore Kyra Place (Enola, Pa.) ended the run at 17:15 and Coon scored back to back in the span of 15 seconds with 3:27 left to pull the Huskies to within 8-7. UVA's Taylor Regan tacked her second on and gave her team a 9-7 lead at the break. After a quick Cavalier goal to open the second half, Watson got her second and Coon followed with her fourth to pull UConn within 10-9 at 26:22. The Huskies went to down 11-10 on Palmucci's second of the day at 24:20 but the UConn offense would again go cold to allow UVA to pull away.
Virginia ran off seven-straight goals from seven different players before the Huskies would end their scoring drought with 6:52 left, down 18-10. Junior Lia LaPrise (Windsor, Conn.) and senior Abby Vetsch (Marcellus, N.Y.) each scored and Watson tacked on her third down the stretch. LaPrise added an assist to her totals and finished her season as the Huskies' leading scorer with 78 points on 37 goals and 41 assists.
Junior goaltender Landyn White (Alpharetta, Ga.) made nine of her 14 saves in the first half.
UVA outshot the Huskies 37-25 and forced 18 UConn turnovers. Virginia also held an 18-13 edge on draws.
