The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team claimed a dominant 19-5 win against Kent State on Saturday. A high-scoring first quarter and strong defensive presence gave the Minutewomen (14-2, 7-0 Mid-American) the momentum to keep the Golden Flashes (7-10, 2-5 MAC) from seeing the back of the net until the second quarter.
With 11:26 remaining in the first quarter, Bridget Valentine struck on an offensive zone rush, leading to her fourth goal of the season. The Massapequa Park, N.Y., native received a pass from Sienna Diglio and made a run into the offensive zone. Left uncovered, Valentine drove into the 8-meter arc and shot the ball past Sydney Davis.
“[Valentine] is so consistent with her work ethic,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “I bet she would have had a lot more [goals] today if she stayed and pushed the fast break, but they were really trying to get Heather Clark for her last game here for a goal.”
The junior has been a steady presence for the UMass defense, contributing 31 caused turnovers, 39 ground balls and 25 draw controls in the 2026 season. Valentine was also named the MAC defensive player of the week on April 14.
With 6:29 remaining in the second quarter, Katie Peterson capitalized on a turnover by Kent State. Collecting the ground ball, Kassidy Morris made a launching pass to Peterson in the offensive zone. The junior collected the pass and made a run into the 8-meter arc before firing it past the Golden Flashes’ goalie.
Just under five minutes into the second, Katie Onderdonk connected with Norah Prizzi to put the Minutewomen up 10-1. Making a run into the 8-meter arc, Onderdonk collected the pass from behind the net, shooting it past Davis to record her 17th goal of the season.
Dylan Lyons struck first in the third for UMass off an unexpected tip off a Kent State defender. Collecting a pass from behind the net at the top of the 12-meter fan, Lyons sent a pass to Morris. The red-shirt senior was knocked down by Allie Bradley while making a run across the 8-meter arc. Attempting to intercept the pass, Anna Zucconi lifted her stick and tipped the ball, causing it to redirect and get past Davis.
The first goal of the second quarter for the Minutewomen came from the Orange, Conn. native with 7:06 remaining. Making a run into the 8-meter arc, Prizzi passed the ball from behind the net, where it was quickly collected and shot past the Golden Flashes’ goalie.
Despite a solid performance, UMass continued to struggle with turnovers as Kent State forced 14, an issue that the team will look to fix going into the postseason.
“For us, cleaning up some of the turnovers, cleaning up some of our shot placement,” Drummond said. “I think for us, if we can take one extra second before we pass the ball, before we shoot the ball, it will put us in a much better spot. So, if we clean that up, we should put ourselves in a better position there.”
Looking forward, the Minutewomen are set to face off against Robert Morris on Thursday, April 30, in the first round of the MAC tournament. The game will be held in Moon Township, Pa., with the opening draw set for 11 a.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Olivia Pang can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @OliviaPang18.
