Atlantic 10 Champions! Spiders Defeat UMass Earning Automatic NCAA Tournament Bid

Sunday, May 7

Richmond, Va.

12:00 PM

University of Richmond

16-3

#16 UMass

16-2

Richmond

UMASS

Atlantic 10 Champions! Spiders Defeat UMass Earning Automatic NCAA Tournament Bid

05/07/2023 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

Richmond, Va. – The University of Richmond Women's Lacrosse team entered the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championships with their eyes set on their first Atlantic 10 conference title since 2019. Avenging their earlier regular season loss against UMass, the No. 20 Spiders overpowered the No. 13 nationally ranked Minutewomen in the conference championship game held at Cary Street Field in Richmond on Sunday.

Richmond set the pace early in the game scoring three straight uncontested goals through the first five minutes of the first quarter. UMass fought back to catch up, leaving the first quarter with a 5-4 Richmond lead. The second quarter was equally matched as both programs threw in four goals, giving the Spiders a 9-8 lead going into the half. The third quarter was the key for Richmond as they outscored their opponents 7-2. Lindsey Frank found the back of the net four times in this period, leading the Richmond offense to success. In the final quarter, Richmond's defense strung together to hold UMass to three goals, allowing the offense to take over yet again, outscoring the Minutewomen 4-3 in the final period. The Spiders ability to not allow UMass to outscore them in any quarter led them to a 20-13 victory and the 2023 Atlantic 10 conference title.

Lindsey Frank earned the Most Outstanding Player award along with a spot on the All-Championship Team. In this game Frank finished with 6 goals off of 8 shots (.750 shooting percentage). She also contributed with 5 draw controls.

Arden Tierney, the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year finished with 3 goals, 3 ground balls, 1 caused turnover and 5 draw controls.

Colleen Quinn remained efficient on offense as she knocked in 3 goals from 4 shots (.750 shooting percentage).

Grace Muldoon played an unselfish game, contributing with 3 points from 3 assists.

Ali Susskind, Sophia DiCenso and Kendall Duffy each added two goals to the box score. With 6 total shots from the three members, each one found the back of the net for a score. A 1.00 shooting percentage between all of them.

Alexis Morton and Leah Kenny each made their presence known with individual goals off of a combined 2 shots. A 1.00 shooting percentage between the two.

Maggie O'Brien led the team in defensive stats with 3 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers and 5 draw controls. O'Brien played a major part in the shutdown group that held UMass to 13 points, their lowest finish of the season.

Goalkeeper Emilie Bloyer stepped out of the cage as a winner with 11 saves.

With the win, Richmond extends their post-season and moves on to a 16-3 overall record.

After the game, five Spiders were named to the All-Tournament Team in Emilie Bloyer, Sophia DiCenso, Jordyn Harrison, Arden Tierney, and Most Outstanding Player, Lindsey Frank.

The Spiders will find out their NCAA tournament matchup tonight during the NCAA Div. I Women's Lacrosse Selection Show set for 9:00 p.m. on ESPNU. Make sure to follow the Spiders on all social media platforms @SpiderWLAX for updates.