Lacrosse Undaunted at UC-Davis; Wins 14-3

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DAVIS, Calif. (March 9, 2005) – Senior Tracy Mullaney scored four of her five goals during an 8-0 first half that pushed the University of Connecticut women’s lacrosse team to a 14-3 win over California-Davis on Wednesday afternoon at Aggie Field in Davis. The Huskies improve to 2-0 with their school-record sixth consecutive road win and are now victorious in their first two outings of the season for the third time in the program’s nine-year history, and the first since a 5-0 run to open the 2000 season. It also marks the first time that UConn has ever won its first two road games of a season. The Aggies dip to 2-2 with the loss.

UConn’s first half onslaught saw the team score eight unanswered goals, part of a 10-0 run through the game’s first 42:55 as Mullaney (five goals, one assist), Shannon Burke (two goals) and Jacqui Hamilton (one goal, two assists) had their way with UC-Davis’ defense. Burke was a dominating presence in the midfield all day, collecting eight ground balls, two shy of the school record. The sophomore also controlled three draws and caused a turnover in addition to scoring on two of her four shots. Hamilton kept the offense free-flowing while Mullaney, the leading returning scorer in the BIG EAST Conference, was her typical self. For the game she tallied her five goals on just seven shots along with a pair of critical draw controls and an assist. It was Mullaney’s third career game with at least five goals.

During the second half, the Huskies showed the depth that could carry the team to a landmark season as several reserves entered and continued to carry the pace, outplaying their Aggie counterparts. Sophomore Bonnie Levin was the focal point of the offense down the stretch and collected three points on a goal and two assists. Allison Tyminski had a goal and an assist while freshman Robyn Pastuch netted her first collegiate goal just one second prior to the final horn. Dana Stewart also had a pair of goals in the UConn victory. It was only the second career multiple-goal game for the crafty senior. In all, 10 different Huskies had a point in the game.

Simply outplayed at the UConn offensive end, UC-Davis didn’t fare much better against the Husky defense. Jennifer Wong posted a shut out in goal during the first half, making six saves. She yielded to Kristen Haldeman at the half who made four more saves, allowing three goals. Meanwhile, Kelly Robinson helped ensure that Wong and Haldeman were seldom tested, stopping the Aggies by scooping up three ground balls and causing a pair of turnovers despite limited action on UConn’s side of midfield.

The Huskies will return to action Saturday, March 12 when the team wraps up its west coast trip with a 5:00 p.m. ET game at California.