Lacrosse Drops BIG EAST Opener to Villanova

Saturday, March 22

Villanova, PA

1:00 PM

University of Connecticut

6-4,0-1BE

Villanova

7-3,1-0BE

Connecticut

Villanova

Photo by: UConn Athletics | Daniel Toothaker

3/22/2025 3:31:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa.- UConn women's lacrosse (6-4) dropped their BIG EAST conference opener Saturday afternoon, falling to the Villanova Wildcats (7-3) by a score of 11-7 at Villanova Stadium.

How it Happened:

Anna Magennis (Ashland, Mass.) got the Huskies on the board right away with a goal on the free position attempt
After 'Nova responded to tie the score, UConn rattled off consecutive goals, getting contributions from. Jenna Giardina (South Salem, N.Y.) and Emma Dacey (Hopkinton, Mass.) to jump ahead 3-1.
Sami Carey and Sydney Pappas found the back of the net for the 'Cats to level the score at 3 apiece to end the first.
Elena Torres gave the hosts a 4-3 lead on the free position in the opening minutes of the second quarter.
Torres completed the first half hat trick to extend the Wildcats' advantage to 5-3.
Villanova continued to ramp up their offensive attack, pushing UConn to call a timeout after scoring six unanswered goals for a 7-3 halftime lead.
After the break, Eve McGrogan (Nyack, N.Y.) scored to stop the 'Nova 7-0 scoring run, bringing the score to 8-4.
UConn's offense was stymied throughout the quarter, with another goal from Pappas padding 'Nova's lead to 9-4 leading into the fourth.
Giardina scored her second of the game to chip into the Wildcat lead, but the hosts continued their strong afternoon, answering with two rapid fire goals to construct a comfortable 11-5 advantage.
Lucia Smigiel (Blue Bell, Pa.) scored on the woman-up advantage in the fourth, her second of her UConn career
Karsyn Burnash (Adams Center, N.Y.) fired one past the 'Nova defense in the waning moments of the game, but it would not enough as the Huskies dropped their BIG EAST opener.

Of Statistical Note:

The Huskies were outshot 38-23 in the contest today.
UConn was unable to bounce back from a second quarter run from Villanova in which they were outscored 4-0.
Giardina finished with 2 goals and 1 assist, keeping her multi-point streak alive.

Up Next: UConn concludes non-conference play against Hofstra next Saturday, March 29^th at 3:00pm.