After a six-goal loss to James Madison on February 19, UConn lacrosse was ready to turn the page.

“We talked about [having] a winning mentality in everything that we do, no matter what happens in a game,” coach Katie Woods said. “We really emphasized that, going forward, in terms of [having our] backs against the wall, we’re still going to come out on top.”

The Huskies quickly put this winning mentality to work over the weekend. UConn delivered dominant victories, taking down UMass Lowell 23-14 and New Hampshire 23-10. Senior midfielder Sydney Watson put on an offensive clinic, tallying 11 goals and 26 draw controls in the matchups.

But UConn initially struggled against the River Hawks. The teams were locked in during the first half, with the Huskies holding a narrow 9-8 lead heading into halftime.

“We knew we were better than how we were playing,” Watson said. “We were turning the ball over. We weren’t focusing on our game plan, and we wanted and needed to turn that around as soon as possible.” 

The Huskies flipped the script in the third quarter, outscoring the River Hawks 8-3 in the third en route to an emphatic nine-goal victory.

Key to this turnaround was a newfound dominance on the draw. Woods said the Huskies were “skittish” off the circle in the beginning of the matchup, but were able to get “really great draw controls” and build momentum during the second half. UConn’s comeback was clear on the stat sheet, notching 16 draws to UMass Lowell’s three in the second half.

Starting slow has been a key struggle for the Huskies this season, Watson said. In their first matchup of the season, a 12-10 victory against Fairfield, UConn led by just two goals at the half. The Huskies trailed by two at the half against James Madison before the Dukes took control in the final half.

“We know we’re a good team,” Watson said. “We know we can catch other teams off guard, but we’ve been starting off slow and want to come off faster, put our shots away and be better overall.

UConn was able to overcome this with a hot start against New Hampshire. By the end of the first quarter, the Huskies led 10-4. At halftime, it was 14-7.

The draw was, again, central to the Huskies’ offensive success. Watson, junior defender Ariana Kline, senior defender Julia Ozimek and junior midfielder Madelyn George were dominant off the circle, winning a combined 17 draws in the first half. Winning the draw and controlling the pace offensively helped UConn build momentum, Woods said.

The Huskies handily controlled the matchup the entire game, primarily because of a well-rounded, offensive effort. Six different players scored two or more goals and nine players chipped in assists en route to a dynamic, double-digit victory.

“We kept attacking and kept focusing on our game plan and staying in the moment,” Woods said. “We had a strong offensive output over the weekend, which was really fun in terms of the number of threats we have and different people that can contribute for us.”

While UConn’s offense lit up, its defense held strong. Senior goalkeeper Landyn White anchored the unit, recording 21 saves over the two matchups. She was supported by several veteran defenders, including George, who chipped in four controlled turnovers and two ground balls against the River Hawks.

Experience was key to the Huskies’ offensive success, too. Watson, senior attacker Lia LaPrise and junior midfielder Kyra Place — UConn’s top scorers over the weekend — are all upperclassmen. Watson said having veteran leadership in the unit is important both for making underclassmen feel “prepared” on the field and also for growing and challenging themselves together.

No matter whether the Huskies were fighting through a narrow first half against UMass Lowell or dominating the game against New Hampshire, Woods sees her team’s tenacity and ability to make “gritty plays” as what will buoy them through the season.

“Our resiliency is going to be something that will carry us because there’s no such thing as a perfect game,” Woods said. “When we have those mini dips, it’s about that next play to get our momentum back and turn the tides in our favor. For us, it’s going to be about maintaining our hustle plays, those really resilient moments where our battle shows.”