A daunting task laid in front of the University of Richmond women’s lacrosse team April 5 as it faced the only team in the Atlantic 10 with a perfect conference record: The University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In 2024, Richmond pulled off a narrow 14-13 victory over the Minutewomen, but were not destined to face the same fate this season, falling 19-10 after a disastrous second quarter. Another victory furthered UMass’ lead in the conference, its record improving to 6-0. Richmond fell to fourth place with a 5-2 conference record.
Steady offense and a fierce performance by sophomore goalkeeper Abby Francioli pushed the Spiders past the Minutewomen in the first quarter. UMass snagged the first goal of the game, but Richmond dominated the field the rest of the period. UR outscored UMass 3-1 in a run that put the Spiders up by two at the buzzer.
Turnovers proved to be a problem for the Minutewomen, the team suffering four in the quarter. Richmond’s defense continued to set a solid foundation, recording four saves that put the Spiders ahead as both teams tallied six shots on goal.
"We had a strong first quarter in every category and then let a lot of controllables get away from us,” Head Coach Anne Harrington said in a postgame press release.
Richmond’s triumph was short-lived as UMass readjusted and outscored the Spiders 7-1 in the second quarter. The only category UR outscored the Minutewomen in was saves, tallying two while UMass recorded one. Breaking up a 4-0 run by the Minutewomen, redshirt first-year midfielder Bridget Lonsinger netted her 10th goal of the season. Relief was brief, UMass not skipping a beat as it managed another 3-0 run to finish the half.
Discouraged, the third quarter did not go much better for the Spiders. Junior attacker Juliana Stanley opened the half with a goal for Richmond before UMass pulled a 4-0 run that further tanked the Spiders earlier lead 13-6. With just over a minute on the clock, Stanley persevered again, netting another goal and putting points on the board.
The fourth quarter pushed the Spiders even further back, the Minutewomen opening the final quarter with another 3-0 run. A third of the way through, Richmond found legs to stand on, finding the back of the net and bringing the score to 16-8. It did little to stifle UMass as it went on to outscore Richmond 4-1 until the buzzer ended the game.
“It was a tough day, and we will learn from it as we continue to take the season one day at a time and one game at a time,” Harrington said. “We remain focused on our process and getting better."
Richmond will get another chance to boost its record on April 9 at 1:00 p.m. against George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
The Spiders hold a seven game winning streak over the Revolutionaries, crushing them 16-7 last season. With only three conference games until the A-10 Championships, every win is more vital than ever.
Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu.
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