SPORTS
Lacrosse Falls to #20 UMass in A-10 Semis
Olivia Carey celebrates with her teammates. This News of Davidson photo from last season.
AMHERST, Mass. — The Davidson lacrosse team battled UMass on Friday afternoon in the Atlantic 10 Conference’s semifinal match-up, with the Wildcats ultimately falling 14-7 to the #20 Minutewomen.
The Wildcats struggled to find an offensive rhythm late in the game, as UMass out-shot Davidson 36-17 and forced the ‘Cats into 22 turnovers through 60 minutes of play.
Despite UMass’ strong offensive display, netminder Amanda Monahan made 14 saves, just one shy of her career-high, and finishes her sophomore season with 127 total saves.
Davidson jumped out to a strong start, earning an early look and shot on goal from Grace Fahey, but UMass was first on the scoreboard as the Minutewomen netted the first two goals of the day.
Although facing an early deficit, the ‘Cats answered back thanks to Olivia Carey dishing the ball to Erin Cooke from behind the net, for Davidson’s first score of the day. Carey created more offense for the Wildcats, too, later aiding Gianna New in her lone goal, which settled the score at 2-goals apiece.
The ‘Cats kept things close through the entire first half, as Rookie of the Year Julianne Carey had a game-tying goal in the 10th minute of play and grabbed eight first-half draw controls. In addition to her efforts in the draw circle, Carey also held UMass’ Caitlyn Petro, the top draw controller in the nation, to just one draw control win in the first half and four total on the day.
With 7:35 to go in the first, Julianne Carey fed a long pass to Cooke, who struck for her second time of the game and cut Davidson’s deficit to two, with the Wildcats then trailing just 7-5. Cooke’s score would be Davidson’s last of the half, however, as UMass tacked on two more goals to head into the break with a 9-5 advantage.
The Minutewomen picked up right where they left off in the first, scoring the first four goals of the second frame and five of the last seven of the contest.
Davidson’s historic season ends in Amherst, Mass., as the Wildcats conclude the 2021 campaign with an 11-4 record overall and a top-four finish in Atlantic 10 Conference play. To keep up with Davidson lacrosse in the offseason, visit davidsonwildcats.com/lacrosse.