The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team claimed a dominant 23-7 win over Bryant on Wednesday. The Minutewomen’s (9-2, 3-0 Mid-American Conference) victory against the Bulldogs (7-5, 2-0 American East) extended their win streak to five straight games.
A nine-goal third quarter by UMass extended its lead going into the fourth quarter, with three of the goals coming from Dylan Lyons. The junior ended the day with five goals.
The attackers’ third goal of the quarter came with 5:52 remaining. After collecting Norah Prizzi’s pass off a run across the 8-meter arc, Lyons spun off the Bulldogs defender, firing the ball over Isabella Cardi’s head.
Lyons’ last goal of the contest came with 7:49 in the fourth quarter. Collecting the pass at the top of the 12-meter fan, Lyons weaved her way through two Bryant defenders. At the top of the crease, the attacker sent the ball past Cardi off an underhanded shot.
The Orange, Conn. native capitalized on her free position chances, going 3-for-3 at the 8-meter arc, with her first three goals of the contest coming off these chances.
“As soon as we see a foul going against [Lyons], we know that we’re going to get another goal out of there because she’s just so consistent with her eight meters,” head coach Jana Drummond said.
The Minutewomen took an early lead less than a minute into the game after a strong save by Bayley Duffy, which led to a charge down the field. As UMass entered the offensive zone, they rotated the ball around the 12-meter fan. Ava Connaughton collected Kassidy Morris’ pass from behind the net. The Westwood, Mass. native made the run from behind the net, making a jumping shot that sent the ball over Sierra Donis’ head.
Connaughton also contributed three goals in the third quarter, helping the Minutewomen further extend their lead. Her first goal of the third quarter came at 11:49 when a fake shot moved Charlotte Pithie out of position. Capitalizing on the out-of-place positioning by the Bulldogs’ goalie, Connaughton launched the ball over her shoulder and into the back of the net.
The attackers’ third goal of the third quarter came off a diving shot with 2:57 remaining in the third quarter. Kelly Ford’s strong defensive coverage forced Connaughton to the ground. Before hitting the grass, Connaughton released the ball, where it trickled through the goalie’s legs and into the back of the net.
Taking advantage of a man-advantage, Connaughton scored her fourth goal of the game after a run from behind the net led to a diving shot that got through Pitchie’s head. The goal came with 7:40 in the third quarter to give UMass a 13-5 lead.
“[Connaughton, Lyons and Morris] were getting themselves in better positioning,” Drummond said. “Once they started doing that, I think they were finding such great success. These guys, they play so much on the field every day in practice, so it was just like practice. Play together, play a little bit looser, see each other and you’ll find success from that.”
The Minutewomen continued to find success in the draw circle, proving why they are at the top of the list for draw controls in NCAA Division I. Cate Marshall spent the first half of the game at the circle, winning eight of the draws she took. In the second half, Katie Peterson took over, winning another 10 draws. By the end of the game, UMass won 23 of the 32 draws taken.
The Minutewomen return to Garber Field on Saturday, April 4, against Akron with a noon start time. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Olivia Pang can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @OliviaPang18.
