Another year, another regular season Atlantic 10 title for the UMass women’s lacrosse team. The Minutewomen captured their fourth consecutive outright regular-season crown following their 10-0 record in league action and head into the A-10 playoffs winners of 11 in a row.
UMass, which earned the top seed and a bye into the semifinals, will play No. 4 Richmond on Friday and will look to buck the recent trend of coming up short during the A-10 postseason this weekend.
“This group is super capable of anything they put their minds to,” Minutewomen head coach Jana Drummond said. “I would think with all of them, they’re so supportive of one another that it’s really impressive what they can do and bring together, it’s more just putting it all out there. It’s anyone’s game once playoffs hit and super great competition that we’re seeing. Just really making sure we’re focusing on the moment and the play at hand and where are feet are so we don’t get too ahead of ourselves and dwell on the past.”
UMass hasn’t won the A-10 Championship since 2021, despite being the most dominant team in the conference during the regular season in that span. The Minutewomen have beaten 55 straight A-10 opponents in the regular season, dating all the way back to 2018.
Going even further back to 2010, UMass has never finished a season without either a regular-season title or a championship title. This weekend, the Minutewomen will look to claim the 12th A-10 championship trophy in program history.
“I think just because it’s anyone’s game so you feel more pressure, even though our biggest thing is trying to make it like it’s just another game,” Drummond said. “We have another opportunity to play together and stay in the moment and not put too much pressure on it, I think that’s the biggest thing for us. We’ve been in this boat before and we’ve fallen short so I think everyone wants it so bad. We’re trying not to think or talk about that and just appreciate the moments that we get together and the opportunity to play on Friday.”
Kassidy Morris will look to keep up her goal-scoring prowess during the postseason, as the redshirt-junior earned the single-season goal-scoring record in UMass’ regular-season finale against George Mason last Saturday. Morris found the back of the net 70 times this year, surpassing the previous record which was 67.
“She’s so hard to defend and with that, it elevates her teammates around her,” Drummond said. “Everyone is so supportive of one another on the offensive end, it’s very selfless. I think that’s why our offense is so successful. [Morris] does such a great job but it takes everyone on the field setting her up, getting those looks. [Morris] has been so keen on becoming more versatile so she’s not just a one [trick] type of person, she has different moves up her sleeve. She can read what the defense is giving her and react and dictate from there.”
Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw, Tessa Shields and Ava Connaughton all tallied at least 40 goals for the Minutewomen during the regular season and will strive to support Morris in the goal-scoring department these playoffs.
On defense, Drummond praised Lauren Carey and Heather Clark’s efforts in helping UMass limit its opponents to 162 goals in 16 games. The Minutewomen scored 278 goals in that same period.
“Lauren Carey is a transfer from Old Dominion and has just done a great job of gelling right away,” Drummond said. “She became a starter the second she came to the program. Her and Heather Clark, they’re connectivity with Catrina Tobin, it’s just really great to see and the keep everything light and connected and help us lead down there.”
Drummond is nearing the end of her fourth season at the helm at UMass after taking over for Angie McMahon in 2022. Drummond was an assistant coach with McMahon when the Minutewomen grabbed the A-10 championship in 2021, but Drummond has yet to win one as head coach, adding even more motivation into this weekend’s affairs.
“I think it’s just a testament to what the girls do and the leadership we have on this team, the staff that we have and all the work that we put into it, if we were to get to that point,” Drummond said. “I think that would be incredible to see all that come to fruition.”
UMass’ semifinal bout at Robins Stadium in Richmond, Virginia is set for Friday at noon.
