Lacrosse misses mark against Minutewomen
Redshirt-senior midfielder Sky Hyatt has scored 33 goals in nine games this season. Photo by Shayla Bailey
Adam Cheek, Staff Writer
Lacrosse fell to UMass 22-14 March 24, unable to overcome a sweeping first half.
The Minutewomen started with an assault — scoring 16 goals in the first half — and the Rams only managed five.
UMass’ first goal came 7 1/2 minutes in and another quickly followed just a few minutes later. Senior midfielder Sofia Emond scored the Rams’ first goal, her eighth of the season, with a free position shot.
The Minutewomen added two more before VCU broke through. The Black and Gold’s senior attacker Molly Barcikowski kicked off a three-goal run that tied the game at four.
UMass then supplied an onslaught of scores — seven goals in less than 10 minutes — to put the Rams down by seven. Barcikowski managed to break the barrage with her 19th goal of the season, but UMass fought back and added five more before halftime.
The second half saw VCU outscore UMass 9-6, but the gap wasn’t enough for the Rams to close in. The game ended with an 8-point disparity.
Senior midfielder Clare Murphy scored less than six minutes into the game’s latter half, and the Black and Gold followed up after UMass added another with two of their own. VCU didn’t allow a streak of goals similar to the first half, as the Minutewomen only managed three in a row.
The Rams also added three in a row — two consecutive goals by redshirt-senior midfielder Sky Hyatt — right after that run, trying to close the gap. Both teams only managed one more after that, however, and VCU’s 22-14 fate was sealed.
Hyatt recorded six goals, a team-high for the Rams, while Barcikowski added three of her own. Five other Rams added a goal apiece, including junior attack Jessica Del Rossi.
Three players with one goal also contributed one assist each, including senior midfielders Emond and Murphy, as well as sophomore attacker Anna Koniencki. The fifth Ram to record a goal, junior midfielder Keriann McTavish, also racked up three assists.
Hyatt’s eight shots were also a team-high, while Barcikowski and McTavish followed close behind with six and four, respectively. Six of Hyatt’s eight shots were on goal, as were all but one of Barcikowski’s.
Starting senior goalie Ria Peralta made six saves, for a .273 save percentage, while junior goalie Gillian Belfiore made two.
The Rams will take on Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia March 29, at 4:30 p.m.
