Angela McMahon didn’t enjoy the stressful moments when they were happening during the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
But the UMass women’s lacrosse coach hoped her team’s tight conference championship win over Richmond would help prepare it for potentially close contests in the NCAA Tournament beginning with Friday’s 4 p.m. game against Princeton at Cornell.
“It was great to be challenged in the A-10s and play some really tough games. Now we have all of those experiences and I think that works in our favor,” McMahon said. “We’ve kind of been through it all at this point. I feel really confident, the team feels really confident. It should be a great game.”
The winner will face either host Cornell or Canisius, Sunday at noon.
McMahon said having classes already done for the semester has been a bonus for her team.
“Coming out of finals only having to focus on lacrosse, I think it’s been great. They got a day off Monday after getting in late on Sunday,” she said. “In the past couple days we really buckled down and focused in on Princeton.”
UMass has reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament two out of the last three seasons. A year ago they beat Jacksonville before falling to No. 1 Maryland.
To be successful this year, McMahon thought early draw controls would set the tone for her team.
“The main thing is winning draw controls. We’ve been able, in some of our big games, to win those first couple draws to get off to some fast starts,” McMahon said. “That’s going to be a really key thing for us.”
The Tigers have struggled in that area, winning just 150 of 329 controls (45.6 percent) this season. Led by Hannah Murphy’s 138 wins, UMass has won 269 of 428 (62.9 percent).
Princeton heads into the tournament at 11-5 after losing to Cornell, 10-9, in overtime in the first round of the Ivy League Tournament.
Olivia Hompe is far and away the Tigers’ top offensively player. Her 56 points (45 goals, 11 assists) are more than twice the total of Princeton’s next highest scorer.
“She’s a fantastic player. She’s really talented and has been their offensive leader,” McMahon said. “She’s really a dynamic, exciting player who is fun to watch. Hopefully we can limit her a little bit.”
TROOST OUT — Senior Nicole Troost, who leads UMass with 42 goals despite missing the last seven games, won’t play this weekend. McMahon hoped if the Minutewomen advanced past this weekend that she might be able to play.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage