The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team drew No. 6 Navy on Sunday for the first round of the NCAA tournament. After clinching the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in a dominant 15-3 win against Akron, the Minutewomen (17-2, 7-0 MAC) will return to the tournament for the second year in a row. Their appearance marks the 17th in program history.
The Midshipmen (18-1, 8-1 Patriot League) also made a tournament berth last season and defeated No. 13 Army West Point 17-11 in the Patriot League final to clinch their spot in the post season. This will be Navy’s ninth appearance in the tournament as a program.
Friday’s matchup will be the second meeting between the two programs. Their first meeting was in the 2017 tournament second round. The Midshipmen won the matchup 23-11.
In that game, despite being relatively even on most statistics, Navy went on multiple scoring runs to pull away with the lead. The Midshipmen also came away with 20 draw controls to UMass’ 16 and Navy had more than double the amount of saves in the crease.
With the second and third scoring offenses in the nation, both teams know how to win and often by margins. The Minutewomen score an average of 16.89 goals per game while the Midshipmen sit close behind with an average of 16.11.
In both sides’ conference finals, each team went on high scoring runs in the earlier stages of their games that quickly set the tone. In a game often defined by possession and momentum swings, if Navy or UMass can retain possession for extended periods, it could signal trouble for the opposition.
Another asset both teams bring to the tournament is a standout attacker. Kassidy Morris has been a steady force for UMass all season. After breaking the program’s career goals record in March, she’s continued to be one of the Minutewomen’s most dangerous options.
The Ontario native leads the team in goals, points and shots, and has recorded 15 hat tricks this season.
In the MAC finals against the Zips, Morris netted four goals on nine total shots while also picking up two ground balls. If UMass can get the ball in the redshirt senior’s stick throughout the contest, the Midshipmen’s defense could have a long game.
Alyssa Chung enters the tournament as a driving factor on Navy’s offense. The sophomore leads the Midshipmen in goals, assists and points and enters the tournament with 102 points on the year. The Severna Park, MD native is the sixth player in program history to break 100 points in a season.
In the conference title game against the Black Knights, Chung tallied five goals on seven shots. She has recorded minutes in all of Navy’s matchups this season. If left open, Chung can be a real threat in front of the net.
An area of play which could be a game deciding factor is free position shots. The Midshipmen rank twelfth nationally on free position percentage while the Minutewomen rank eighteenth. In UMass’ conference championship bout, they went 5-of-14 cumulatively.
During the Patriot League tournament, Navy went 8-for-13 on free position attempts, and Chung ranks fourth nationally in free position goals per game at 0.95 and in free position percentage, 0.692. The Midshipmen could easily capitalize on penalty chances at the 8-meter arc, swinging the momentum in their favor.
The Minutewomen’s first round matchup is scheduled for Friday, May 8 at 3 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @emmabensley4. Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X at @Kate_e_endres.
