The UMass women’s lacrosse team took home a dominant, 15-3 victory over Akron for the squad’s first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in program history on Saturday afternoon.
After earning the MAC regular season championship the week prior, the Minutewomen continued their success in the new conference, finishing a flawless 9-0 overall against MAC opponents in their first season.
This year’s conference championship game was the 18th one in a row that UMass has played in, including the days in the Atlantic 10, dating back to the 2008 season.
“It’s an indescribable feeling,” redshirt senior Kassidy Morris said. “It’s hard to encapsulate everything we’re feeling right now. We worked so hard for this all season long and it’s something we had our eyes set on ever since we moved to the MAC. It feels amazing that we finally succeeded.”
Morris continued to shine for the Minutewomen on the biggest stage of the season to this point, tallying four goals in Saturday’s victory over the Zips. With a total of eight goals and two assists in the tournament, the redshirt senior eclipsed 101 points on the season, tying her own program record set in 2025.
Throughout UMass’ 12-game winning streak, Morris has been a staple of consistency, scoring at least three goals in 11 of the team’s last 12 contests. Her great stretch was capped off by being named the MAC Tournament MVP.
Alongside Morris, four other Minutewomen were acknowledged for their efforts throughout the tournament. Defender Heather Clark, attacker Ava Connaughton, goalkeeper Bayley Duffy and midfielder Katie Onderdonk all earned All-Tournament honors.
“This group has worked so hard,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “I’m so proud of them. Nothing was given [or] handed to them. They worked really hard for everything. The family atmosphere and the unity they had as one was incredible and you saw that [on Saturday].”
Cate Marshall continued her success in the center circle, taking home 11 draw controls on Saturday, her fifth straight game with double-figure draws.
Onderdonk matched Morris with four goals of her own against Akron, setting a new career-high, with attacker Katie Peterson finishing with a hat trick of her own in the win.
“We talk about it all the time, being connected, playing as one, being fearless,” Onderdonk said. “It’s easy to come into a championship game with nerves, but we tried to rely on each other on and off the field.”
The championship victory gives UMass a 16-2 record overall this season, cementing its spot in the NCAA Tournament once again. After coming up short in 2025, the team will look to flip the script and continue what has been a great season to this point.
With the NCAA Tournament bracket now solidified, the Minutewomen are set to take on No. 6 Navy (18-1) in the first round. That matchup is set to get underway on Friday, May 8, at 3 p.m., on the road in Annapolis, MD.
“We cannot wait to keep going,” Clark said. “We’re not ending this season lightly. We’re [going to] try and go as long as we can.”
“We’re definitely coming for revenge off of last season’s loss, and we’re hoping to make a deep run,” Peterson said.
