Testa's 15 Stops Lead UConn Over Iona
from press release
STORRS, Conn. – Senior attackers M.E.
Lapham (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Kiersten Tupper (Camillus, N.Y.) each
posted five points in a 10-7 win for the University of Connecticut
lacrosse team over Iona in its season opener at the Sherman Sports
Complex, Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies (1-0) raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first 3:08 of
play. Sophomore mid Lauren Kahn (Nanuet, N.Y.) tallied an
unassisted score just 49 seconds into the game and was quickly
followed by goals from Lapham and Tupper.
The Gaels (0-1) broke through with a score at 24:46 from sophomore
mid Nina Veneziale. UConn responded with three more scores,
including two from Tupper and a second from Kahn. Iona went
on to score once more before the break as junior attack Kylie
Gregory found the back of the net with 9:17 left to play.
Connecticut’s offense continued to roll in the second half as
junior midfielder Mackenzie Rainone and Lapham each scored to push
the UConn lead to 8-2.
Less than 10 minutes into the half, the Gaels’ offense began
to come to life and cut the lead in half by the 12:58 mark of the
stanza. Veneziale and Gregory each added their second score
of the game during that stretch.
Tupper put a stop to the Iona run as she scored with 6:12 left to
play in the game. Senior midfielder Casey Scully posted
back-to-back goals for the Gaels to cut the deficit to two, but
UConn was able to fight off an Iona comeback as Kahn recorded her
second goal of the day with just six seconds left on the clock.
For the game, Tupper totaled four goals and an assist, while Lapham
netted two goals and collected three assists. Gregory led the
Gaels with five points on two scored and three helpers.
In net for Connecticut, junior Brittney Testa (Bridgewater, Vt.)
provided 15 saves in the winning effort, while freshman netminder
Blaire Nathanson stopped just six shots for Iona. The Gaels
held a slight 26-23 advantage in shots for the game.
The Huskies are back in action next Saturday, February 25 when they
host intrastate rival Quinnipiac at 1:00 pm.
