University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
9-1, 2-0 A-10
Duquesne
3-6, 1-1 A-10
No. 20 Women's Lacrosse Outpaces Duquesne, 15-9
April 03, 2016 | Women's Lacrosse
April 3, 2016
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AMHERST, Mass. - Nicole Troost led the way with five goals for the second straight game as the No. 20 Massachusetts women's lacrosse team earned a 15-9 win over Duquesne Sunday afternoon at Garber Field.
The win moves the Minutewomen to 9-1 on the season and 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Dukes are now 3-6 (1-1 A-10). In addition, the victory was the 100th at UMass for head coach Angela McMahon.
The Minutewomen clinched their 38th consecutive win in league action, dating back to March 31, 2011. UMass is now tied for the NCAA record in that category with Northwestern, which won 38 consecutive games in the American Lacrosse Conference from March 5, 2005 to April 8, 2011.
UMass won the race to the scoreboard early to take a 1-0 lead. Just 18 seconds into the matchup, junior Hannah Murphy took a feed from Abby Walker and fired a shot home for her 17th goal of the season. The Minutewomen tallied two more in the opening minutes as Eileen McDonald and Troost added to the lead, moving the score to 3-0.
After the Dukes responded with two goals of their own, UMass then strung together a six-goal run. Callie Santos, Hannah Burnett, Holly Turner (twice), and Troost (twice) all netted goals during the eight-minute sequence to place the Minutewomen with a 9-2 advantage. Following a tally from Jill Vacanti, UMass wrapped up the first half's scoring when Santos and Troost each put shots home, finishing the period ahead 11-3.
The teams traded goals to open the second stanza, marked by early scores from Duquesne's Kaelin Shaw and Vacanti. UMass then responded with a three-goal run as Turner added her third of the day, while Troost and Burnett followed shortly thereafter as the Minutewomen maintained a 14-5 lead.
Duquesne mounted a late rally with a string of four consecutive tallies, but freshman Hannah Palau finalized the 15-9 score after recording her third goal of the season with 1:09 to play.
Murphy dominated the draw control category throughout the afternoon, coming away with eight in the contest. Defensively, six different Minutewomen caused turnovers, led by Allison Ryan with two takeaways.
The win in net went to Sam Walters (9-1), who made one save, while Jenna Bishop (3-5) received the loss for the Dukes despite 12 stops. Aileen Kelly played the second half for UMass in relief of Walters, recording three saves.
The Minutewomen return to the field on Friday, April 8, facing George Mason under the lights in Fairfax, Va. Opening draw in the contest is set for 6 p.m.
For continued coverage of UMass women's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter @UMassLacrosse and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UMassWomensLax.
