STORRS- Kelsey Neary (Arlington Heights, Ill.) scored the game-winning goal in overtime to complete an epic five-goal comeback, as UConn women's lacrosse (9-4, 2-1 BE) got their first ever win over Denver University (8-5, 3-1 BE), defeating the defending BIG EAST Champions 14-13 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.
Denver jumped out to 3-0 lead, with contributions from point leaders Lauren Black and Olivia Ripple. The Huskies responded to tie the game, with two goals from Rayea Davis (Henrietta, NY) and one from Ava Plata (Orchard Park, NY). The Pioneers countered with a three goal run of their own, with two goals to end the first quarter and one in the first minute of the second to reconstruct a 6-3 lead in the opening minutes of the second.
Denver kept their foot on the gas throughout the second, padding their advantage to 8-3, with two more goals to force UConn into a timeout. Eliza Bowman (Greenwich, Conn.) scored in the second quarter, with the Huskies trailing 8-4 at the break.
Following an early Denver goal to open the scoring, Davis and Plata cut the visitors' lead to three with their respective third and second goals of the game to cut the Pios' lead to three. However, the Pios continued to maintain breathing room, rattling off three of the next four goals, padding their edge to 12-7 with just over five minutes to go in the quarter. Jenna Giardina (South Salem, NY) scored her 16th goal of the season and Plata capped off the hat trick to again bring UConn within three at 12-9.
Kelsey Neary (Arlington Heights, Ill.) carried over the momentum into the fourth quarter, escalating the UConn comeback attempt and getting the hosts within two. Emma Dacey (Hopkinton, Mass.) kept the Husky train rolling, with her second goal of the game to bring the hosts within just one goal with eight minutes to go. After a Denver response, Plata scored her career-high 4th goal of the game to keep the gap at one. With seven seconds left in regulation, Dacey scored the equalizer to tie the game and send the game into overtime.
Three minutes into overtime, Neary capitalized on the woman-up advantage and found the back of the net to lift the Huskies to their first ever win over the defending conference champion Pioneers.
Of Note: UConn's victory over Denver was the first in the all-time series between the two BIG EAST foes. The Huskies were previously 0-12. Plata's four goals mark a single game career high.
Up Next: The Huskies return to action next Saturday in Milwaukee to take on Marquette at 1:00pm.
Latest Women's Lacrosse
- Lacrosse Sets New Single-Game Program Goal Record in Demolition of XavierSTORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse set a new single-game program record with 24 goals on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 24-8 victory over the Xavier Musketeers at Morrone Stadium.
- Lacrosse Returns Home to Take on Xavier Saturday AfternoonSTORRS- UConn women's lacrosse (9-5, 2-2 BE) returns home this weekend to take on the Xavier Musketeers Saturday afternoon. With just two games left in the regular season, the Huskies find themselves in a competitive BIG EAST race. UConn is 2-2 conference play, one half game behind Marquette for the fourth spot in the conference and a trip to Villanova for the BIG EAST Tournament.
- Lacrosse Defeated by Marquette as Comeback Effort Falls ShortMILWAUKEE, Wis.- UConn women's lacrosse (9-5, 2-2 BIG EAST) saw their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Marquette Golden Eagles 16-15 (9-5, 2-2 BIG EAST) at Valley Fields in Milwaukee.
- Lacrosse Heads to Marquette for BIG EAST MatchupSTORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse will head back on the road Saturday afternoon for another BIG EAST conference game, facing off against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Valley Fields in Milwaukee at 1:00pm. UConn leads the all-time series 10-2 over Marquette, winning last year's matchup 17-7 in Storrs.
- Neary and Beran Earn Weekly BIG EAST AwardsSTORRS, Conn.- Kelsey Neary (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and Abby Beran (Wading River, N.Y.) were named BIG EAST Midfielder and Defensive Player of the Week respectively, the conference announced Monday.
- Lacrosse Welcomes Denver to Storrs in BIG EAST Title Game RematchSTORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse welcomes defending BIG EAST Champion Denver University on Sunday afternoon in Storrs. The matchup will be the first home game for the Huskies since March 12th.
