Champions once again.
The UMass women’s lacrosse team eased past Saint Joseph’s, 15-4, to claim the Atlantic 10 championship on Sunday.
The Minutewomen (15-3) broke the game open during the second half, scoring 10 goals over the final two quarters, after leading 5-2 at halftime.
Three UMass players recorded hat tricks (Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw, Tessa Shields and Ava Connaughton) to lead the team to its first A-10 title since 2021.
Catrina Tobin totaled six saves for the Minutewomen, who surrendered 20 shots to the Hawks.
UMass will receive an automatic bid into the Division 1 NCAA Championship tournament. This year’s title games will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
UMass slotted into No. 1 overall seed North Carolina’s portion of the bracket, drawing Princeton in the first round of the Div. 1 tournament, following Sunday night’s Selection Show.
The Tigers (14-3) lost in the Ivy League championship on Sunday to Yale, 17-6.
The Minutewomen’s game is scheduled for Friday, May 9 at 5 p.m.
The UMass/Princeton winner will take on the winner of Liberty (12-7) and Johns Hopkins (12-6) next weekend.
In two previous matchups against the Tigers, the Minutewomen are 1-1, with the last contest coming in the 2022 NCAA tournament. UMass lost, 15-9, in that one.
