The clock had 13 seconds remaining when Dylan Lyons was fouled in the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team’s game against Navy in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday. After the foul, the junior won a free position with the opportunity to tie the matchup and force it into overtime.
Lining up on the 8-meter arc, Lyons shuffled forward for the shot but ultimately hit the ball off the pipe. The ensuing rush to reclaim possession ended with the Midshipmen’s (19-1, 8-1 Patriot League) goalie Felicia Giglio holding the ball in her stick with 0.9 seconds remaining for a 17-16 win.
“[Lyons did] a phenomenal job of finding that shot and getting it off,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “[It] just hit the pipe. You can’t ask more of her in that moment. She was so calm, so collected.”
On the day, Lyons led the Minutewomen’s (16-3, 7-0 Mid-American Conference) offense with five goals.
The Orange, Conn. native’s final goal of the day tied the contest at 15 apiece in the fourth. Heather Clark led the breakthrough downfield after picking up a ground ball. About 20 feet out from the 12-meter fan, Clark passed across to Lyons near the crease. Controlling the ball in her stick, the attacker shot under Giglio in the net. Clark’s assisting pass was her first career assist.
Lyons’ hat trick goal came in the third quarter with 8:55 on the clock. Gaining control of the ball in her stick near the 12-meter fan, Lyons ran inside the 8-meter shooting around Giglio to put UMass ahead 11-8.
The All-Conference First Team member ends the season with 55 goals and 24 assists in 19 games.
Kassidy Morris also stood out offensively on Friday. The redshirt senior recorded a hat trick, her 18th game this season hitting the mark.
Morris’ first goal of the day came about five minutes into the contest. Inside the 8-meter arc, the Ottawa native spun in and around her double team of defenders, making her shot over Giglio’s shoulder for the Minutewomen’s first of the day.
With her shot, the attacker made her 102nd point of the season, the most in a single season in UMass’ program history.
Her final two goals as a Minutewoman roster came later in the first quarter and early in the fourth. With 11:33 remaining in the contest, Morris’ goal brought the scoreline to 14-13 in Navy’s favor after Lil Hancock missed a free-position shot about a minute earlier.
The All-Conference First Team member ends her five years in Amherst as the program’s leading goal scorer with 247 shots and 75 assists.
In net, Bayley Duffy made seven saves across all 60 minutes of play while also picking up nine ground balls. The redshirt freshman has been a staple in net for UMass this season, appearing in every game on their schedule.
“[Duffy] was lights out for us. She played so composed [and] so loyal to her teammates,” Drummond said. “Just really proud of her overall effort and what she gave for this team and the love that she has for each person.”
Family. That’s the word that Drummond would use to describe her team’s season. She stated that they were true to themselves and fought hard.
The Minutewomen finish their inaugural MAC season undefeated in conference play and with a 17-3 overall record.
“The hard work was there, the experience that we had, and what we learned from this,” Drummond said as a lesson her team is taking from this year. “We’re going to get back to the drawing board and get … even better getting into next season.”
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @emmabensley4.
