STORRS, Conn. – The UConn Women's Lacrosse team is BIG EAST Championship bound after a thrilling semifinal win over Marquette University on Friday afternoon in Storrs, CT. The Huskies staved off a comeback attempt from the Golden Eagles in the fourth quarter to play for a chance at the conference title.
On a cloudy afternoon in Storrs, CT, the Huskies started off strong, notching five unanswered goals in five minutes. The scoring offense was led by Sophie Sorenson, Grace Coon, Kate Shaffer, Madelyn George, and Lia LaPrise. The Golden Eagles closed out the first quarter with a goal from Shea Garcia and two free position goals in a row from Lydia Foust.
UConn started the second quarter just as they had started the first, with four unanswered goals that included a hat trick for Shaffer, another for Coon, and Rayea Davis' first of the day. Marquette cut the lead with two more goals from Garcia and Foust, respectively. Senior, Sophie Sorenson, notched her second of the day, followed up by a Marquette goal from Leigh Steiner. The Huskies closed the half with another goal from Sorenson, giving herself a hat trick, and a UConn five-point lead.
The third quarter started with a goal from Davis on a free position shot, that was quickly followed up by a Golden Eagle goal from Meg Bireley. UConn put two more into the back of the net from Shaffer and Davis, before Garcia got another goal for the Golden Eagles. LaPrise scored the final goal for the Huskies in the third quarter, while Steiner went back-to-back on free position shots for Marquette, making it a five-goal game.
Things started to unravel for the Huskies in the final quarter, as Marquette went on a comeback run, notching five unanswered goals in under five minutes to tie the game up. Coon put the Huskies back on top on a shot from Davis with 7:00 left in the game. Marquette tied the game up once again with less than six minutes left, before Coon would notch her final of the game on another pass from Davis for the Huskies to take the lead. A big stop by goalkeeper, Landyn White, solidified the UConn win as the final seconds ticked down.
Ariana Kline came up bigtime on defense for the Huskies, with seven draw controls, three caused turnovers, and three ground balls. Sophomore, Raye Neil, had two caused turnovers and two ground balls, while George notched six draw controls on the day.
The Huskies will play for the BIG EAST Championship on Sunday at 12:00pm in Storrs, CT. They will take on the winner of the Denver/Villanova semifinal game.
Latest Women's Lacrosse
- Beran and Lane Named to BIG EAST All-Tournament TeamVILLANOVA, Pa.- Sophomore defender and 2025 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Abby Beran (Wading River, N.Y.) and graduate student defender Meghan Lane (Wilton, Conn.) were named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team, the conference announced following the Saturday championship game.
- Lacrosse Falls to Villanova in BIG EAST Tournament SemifinalVILLANOVA, Pa.- UConn women's lacrosse was defeated by Villanova University by a score of 16-10 in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal on Thursday evening.
- Abby Beran Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Six Huskies Receive Conference HonorsSTORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse sophomore defender Abby Beran (Wading River, N.Y.) has been named 2025 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, the conference announced on Wednesday. Beran is the third Husky to win the award in the program's history, and the first since Cassie Ekstrom took the award back to Storrs in 2018. Beran and five other Huskies were selected to the BIG EAST first and second teams.
- Lacrosse Set for BIG EAST Semifinal vs. No. 2 Seed VillanovaSTORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse (11-5, 4-2 BIG EAST) hits the road to kick off postseason play, traveling to Philadelphia to take on Villanova University in the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal. The Huskies come into the tournament as the #3 seed and will face off against the #2 seed host Wildcats.
- Abby Beran Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the WeekSTORRS, Conn.- Sophomore defender Abby Beran (Wading River, N.Y.) has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday afternoon.
- Lacrosse Punches Ticket to BIG EAST Tournament, Defeating Georgetown in FinaleSTORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse clinched their spot in the BIG EAST Tournament Saturday afternoon, taking down Georgetown 15-9 on senior day in Storrs.
