AMHERST — The UMass women’s lacrosse team continued its strong start to the 2026 season, defeating Central Michigan 22-1 at Garber Field on Thursday afternoon.
Right out of the gate, the Minutewomen asserted their dominance, with Kassidy Morris scoring the first goal of the day just under three minutes in. Quickly, UMass ballooned its lead with precision on offense, finishing the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.
Morris has been the main offensive engine for the Minutewomen throughout her tenure, continuing through the first nine games of her redshirt senior campaign. The attacker scored seven goals on Thursday, putting her season total at 34, averaging the 10th most goals per game in the country so far.
“[Morris is] so coachable,” UMass head coach Jana Drummond said. “She’s out there every single day, making herself better, which is very impressive. She scores a lot of goals, but I think for her, it’s changing up her versatility with her dodges— How can she feed? How can she just bring more to the team?”
Offense has been where the Minutewomen have had success through the first nine games, with now three games in a row scoring 17 or more goals.
The offensive explosion to begin the year has UMass at sixth in the nation in points per game, with 141 goals and 86 assists on the year through nine games.
“We’re just working on trusting each other and sending it into the middle because we know that whoever we’re passing to is going to catch it,” Morris said. “Because we emphasize so much on our chemistry and our connection. Our attack is team first, and we’re always looking for the feed if the dodge isn’t there.”
On the other end, defensively, the Minutewomen did well to limit chances against the Chippewas on Thursday. Controlling possession and using their combination of quick feet and strength on the ball led UMass to allow just five shots on goal throughout the contest.
At the conclusion of Thursday’s win, the Minutewomen sit at 13th in the country in goals against per game at 8.11.
“They just gel so well,” Drummond said of her defenders. “It’s not a statistical category down the defensive end. It’s just a lot of grit and connection and chemistry, and you’re seeing that show through. But also, our goalies have been doing a great job.”
Cate Marshall has played a big role in the team’s ability to keep the ball on the offensive end, dominating in her role with 13 draw controls against Central Michigan.
The success UMass has had on both ends has led to a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins in Mid-American Conference play. After winning the Atlantic 10 Championship last season, the Minutemen have started their tenure in the MAC on the right track.
Through the first two games in conference play, UMass has won by an average of 19.5 goals per game, bursting onto the scene and proving it will be a team competing for a MAC Championship at the end of the year.
“It really builds our confidence… [we’re] just making sure that we start strong,” Morris said. “Playing the full 60 minutes, and our team, in the last two games, has done that. We just use the momentum from each team win and continue that on to the next game.”
Just over halfway through the regular season now, the Minutewomen hold a 7-2 record, looking to stay hot down the stretch. They’ll be back in action on Saturday, March 28, at noon, hitting the road to take on Robert Morris for their third MAC matchup.
“Our goal is to come out with a MAC championship at the end of this year,” senior defender Heather Clark said. “We ended last season with an A-10 Championship, and we want to be the first one to win it in this new conference. But I also think one of our goals is to get pretty far in the NCAA Tournament and just come out firing at the end of the year.”