The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team began its season Friday, defeating Holy Cross 17–8 at Garber Field. The Minutewomen (1–0) built an early lead and never looked back against the Crusaders (0–1).
“Having that type of start with our first home opener is great to experience,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “Overall, we did a good job of just executing.”
To open the second half, UMass midfielder Lil Hancock corralled a loose ball on the draw and carried it up field. Kassidy Morris received the pass on the outside, weaving through the defense to slip a shot past Holy Cross goalkeeper Mackenzie Creagh almost 15 seconds into the third quarter. The quick start for the Minutewomen sparked a run of five unanswered goals.
UMass’ offense surged across the second and third quarters, outscoring the Crusaders 10-2. Morris and Katie Peterson fueled the run, combining for eight goals and eight assists, with Morris leading all scorers with five goals and four assists, respectively.
“[Morris] was on her shots, she was on her positioning and did a great job of playing in the system,” Drummond said.
Morris, an offensive staple for the Minutewomen, enters the season having been named an honorable mention preseason All-American by USA Lacrosse, following a dominant showing in the 2025 season.
“With [Morris], I feel she needs to stick to her style,” Drummond said. “If she can just be in the system and operate as one offensively, we’ll be in the right spot.”
While UMass eventually ran away with the game in the second half, the opening minutes told a different story. Both teams struggled to settle in, trading turnovers after Peterson secured the first draw control.
Holy Cross capitalized first, with Kate Avitabile curling behind the cage, spotting Hadley Cepiel cutting down the middle. Cepiel caught the pass in stride and fired a low line drive past Minutewomen goalkeeper Caitlyn Naughton.
UMass answered less than two minutes later, after Bridget Valentine secured the next draw. The Minutewomen settled into their offense, where Morris found space on the right side. She took a feed from Peterson and buried a shot to tie the game 1-1. The pair connected again moments later, this time with Morris assisting Peterson to give UMass its first lead of the afternoon.
The Minutewomen began to separate themselves in the second quarter, with Naughton opening the frame by weaving through traffic after taking a feed from Ava Connaughton. Five different players scored in the period, and UMass controlled possession on both ends of the field. By halftime, it had outscored Holy Cross 5-1 in the quarter and carried a five-goal cushion into the break.
In the third quarter, the Minutewomen took the game and ran. UMass outshot Holy Cross 36-22 on the day and cleared 19 balls compared to the Crusaders’ 13.
“Overall, we did a good job at executing,” Drummond said. “We need to clean it up in certain areas, but I’m proud of how [the Minutewomen] performed today.”
This season marks the program’s first in the Mid-American Conference, where UMass was picked to finish first in the 2026 preseason poll with 48 points and six first-place votes.
“If we can play together and control as much as we can, we’ll be in a great spot for the season,” Drummond said.
The Minutewomen head to University Park, PA., next to face Penn State on Feb. 11, at noon. The matchup can be streamed on ESPN+.
Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X at @Kate_e_endres.
