Minutewomen Claim Convincing Win Over Holy Cross, 21-8

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Massachusetts (2-2) women's lacrosse made it two wins in a row, securing a convincing 21-8 win over Holy Cross (3-2) on Tuesday evening at Kuzniewski Field. The trio of Ava Connaughton, Kassidy Morris and Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw combined for 12 of Massachusetts season-high 21 goals.

Massachusetts outscored Holy Cross 18-3 over the final three quarters of play, including nine goals unanswered in the second quarter. Overall, the Minutewomen outshot the Crusaders 38-17 (28-14 SOG) in a dominant performance under the lights.

Morris tallied a season-high five goals on a game-high 10 shots. Connaughton tallied a career-high six points on three goals and three assists. Rodriguez-Shaw recorded four goals for the second time this season while dishing out an assist on the night.

A pair Minutewomen scored their first career goals as Etta Coburn and Jeilinne Bonilla celebrated their first tallies in the maroon and white.

The Crusaders were led by Ella Kittredge who recorded three points on two goals and one assist.

Breaking Down The Action

Annabel Brennan and Isabela Miller broke the ice on the evening, claiming an early 2-0 lead for the Crusaders.
Tessa Shields found the net for Massachusetts' first goal of the day, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with 10:49 left in the opening quarter.
Sally Zinsner responded, pushing the Crusader lead back to 3-1.
Ava Connaughton spun off a defender to score her first of the day and once again cut the deficit back to one-goal, 3-2 with 5:59 left in the first.
Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw responded to a goal from Holy Cross's Ella Kittredge to keep it a one-goal deficit for the Minutewomen.
Riley Peters scored the final goal of the first quarter, Holy Cross holding a 5-3 advantage after 15 minutes.
Kassidy Morris and Rodriguez-Shaw each tallied a goal to begin the second quarter, evening the score at 5-5 with 11:01 on the clock.
Morris scored her second of the day and fifth Minutewoman tally of the second quarter to make it a 8-5 Massachusetts lead with 7:13 left in the first half.
A goal from Connaughton made it seven unanswered for the Minutewomen, claiming a 10-5 Massachusetts lead.
Rodriguez-Shaw continued a dominant second quarter, converting a goal off a Bridget Valentine assist to cap a 9-0 scoring run for the Minutewomen.
Kittredge tallied the lone Crusader goal of the second quarter, cutting the Holy Cross deficit to 12-6 with 30 seconds to play in the half.
Morris converted Massachusetts 10th goal of the second quarter, sending the Minutewomen to the break with a 13-6 advantage.
Lil Hancock and Connaughton each tallied a goal to begin the second half, pushing the Massachusetts lead to 16-6 with 9:54 to play in the third quarter.
Jeilinne Bonilla fired in her first career goal to give the Minutewomen a 18-6 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Etta Coburn notched her first career goal with 9:18 to play in the final quarter, extending lead to 21-7 for Massachusetts.
The final whistle sounded with the Minutewomen claiming a 21-8 victory.

Notable Numbers

1: Both Etta Coburn and Jeilinne Bonilla scored their first career goals in the maroon and white.
2: The Minutewomen earned their second win of the 2024 season.
3: Connaughton dished out a career-high three assists.
4: Rodriguez-Shaw recorded her second four goal game of the season.
5: Morris tallied a season-high five goals, including four in the second quarter.
6: Connaughton recorded a career-high six points on three goals and three assists.
10: Massachusetts scored 10 goals in the second quarter, including nine unanswered over 11:35 of game time.
10: Morris tallied a game-high 10 shots on the day.
18: Massachusetts outscored the Crusaders 18-3 in the final three quarters of play.
21: Massachusetts recorded 21 goals on the night, their first 20-plus goal performance of the season.
38: The Minutewomen recorded 38 shots, 28 of which were on goal.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds an 19-4 record all-time in the series.
The two opponents last faced each other on February 27, 2024 with Holy Cross claiming a 12-10 win at Garber Field.

Up Next

The Minutewomen continue their three-game road swing on Saturday, March 1 as they challenge UConn at 1:00 p.m. in Storrs. The game will be broadcast live on UCONN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassLacrosse on Twitter.

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Kassidy Morris

Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw

Ava Connaughton

Lil Hancock

Players Mentioned

Jeilinne Bonilla

Etta Coburn

Ava Connaughton

Lil Hancock

Kassidy Morris

Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw

Tessa Shields

Bridget Valentine

Players Mentioned

Jeilinne Bonilla

Etta Coburn

Ava Connaughton

Lil Hancock

Kassidy Morris

Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw

Tessa Shields

Bridget Valentine

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics