UConn lacrosse to finish off season at home

The UConn women’s lacrosse team wraps up the regular season schedule with a pair of conference home games this weekend. The Huskies will host Villanova on Friday at 4 p.m. and No. 14 Loyola University of Maryland at 1 p.m.

UConn (9-5, 2-4 Big East) is coming off back-to-back conference road victories at Cincinnati and Louisville. The Huskies have not put together consecutive wins since March 10 and 16 against Fairfield and Sacred Heart.

Senior M.E. Lapham led the way offensively, scoring three goals and dishing out three assists, in Sunday’s 10-9 win. Lapham is third in the conference averaging 3.19 goals per game.

Junior goalie Brittney Testa was named to this week’s Big East Honor Roll, allowing 8.5 goals per game and making a combined 22 saves. Testa’s .463 save percentage ranks in the Top 20 nationally.

UConn is ranked 34th in the latest NCAA Women’s RPI.

Seniors Colleen DeRonda, M.E. Lapham, Megan Lally, Stephanie Norton and Kiersten Tupper will be honored as part of Senior Day before the game on Sunday.

Tupper’s 42 points this season are second behind Lapham’s 56 points on 44 goals and 12 assists. Neither player has recorded a point this season, but Lally and Norton have been fixtures on defense for Connecticut. The pair has combined for 34 ground balls and 16 clears. DeRonda played in four games as a senior and picked up three ground balls.

Villanova (4-10, 2-4 Big East) seniors Justine Donodeo and Princess Livingston were named to the Week 9 Big East Honor Roll, as they helped lead the Wildcats to wins over Cincinnati and Louisville. But, Villanova lost their last time out against Loyola, 20-9 on April 22. In the loss, the Wildcats distributed the scoring as eight different players scored a goal.

The problem for the Wildcats this season has been finding the back of the net. Villanova is last in the Big East with an average of 8.71 goals per game and have a shot percentage of .394.

Donodeo has been Villanova’s only consistent scoring threat in 2012. She ranks in the Big East Top 10 with 31 goals and 10 free position goals.

Villanova’s two conference victories are their most since joining the Big East two seasons ago.

The Loyola (10-4, 6-0 Big East) win over Villanova clinched the program’s 23rd 10-win season and marked 6-0 as their best conference start in their history. Three out of Loyola’s four losses have come to ranked opponents on the road.

Loyola sophomore Marlee Paton was named Week 10’s Big East Offensive Player of the Week as she amassed nine goals and two assists in the Greyhounds’ two victories. She leads the team with 68 points on 37 goals and 28 assists.

Patton, defenseman Ana Heneberry and goalie Kerry Stoothoff have been named to the 2012 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The award is presented to the NCAA women’s lacrosse player of the year.

Heneberry anchored a Greyhound defense that held opponents to 10.21 goals per game and she had picked up 23 ground balls. Stoothoff has made 98 saves and has a save percentage of .434.

UConn’s Testa has a better save percentage and has recorded more saves this season but is not on the award’s watch list.

Before Sunday’s regular season finale with the Huskies, Loyola will face No. 2 Syracuse on Friday. The matchup will likely decide the No. 1 overall seed in the Big East Tournament.