:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46049374/20130929_WL_314_MB.0.0.jpg)
Connecticut scored six unanswered goals over the last 18 minutes of the first half and just into the second half, which led to a 13-8 win over Marquette on Saturday afternoon in Storrs.
As you can kind of guess, Marquette played Connecticut essentially even the rest of the game. Nicole Gleason gave Marquette a 1-0 lead, and just after the 20 minute mark of the first half, Emily Donovan powered a Julianna Shearer pass past UConn goalie Shannon Nee, and Marquette was tied with Connecticut at two apiece. Once the six goal streak was over, MU traded goals with UConn for the rest of the game, with the exception of a pair of goals from Gleason and Taylor Smith towards the middle of the second half.
That six goal streak, though....
Grace Nolan was unstoppable for the Huskies in that run, scoring two goals and assisting on three more. She tacked on one more goal in the second half, the answer to Riley Hill's streakbreaker, to finish with a game high six points to lead UConn to victory. The Huskies also got three of the goals on the run from Emily Anderson, who snagged both the first and the last goal of the six pack.
This game reminds me of Marquette's game against Northwestern. With the exception of one section of the game in both cases, Marquette played a team essentially even. It sounds like a pretty good deal, except for the demolition that occurred during that section. Of course, you also have to ask if it was easier for Northwestern/UConn to defend Marquette when they already had built an impressive lead.
Gleason finished with a hat trick to lead the Golden Eagles in goals, while Shearer had two goals and an assist to tie Gleason for the MU high in points for the day. Claire Costanza recorded her 22nd assist of the season on Gleason's third goal of the game, which tied Costanza's own program record for assists in a season.
Up Next: Things do not get easier for Marquette. Big East play continues as the Golden Eagles return home to host Florida on Wednesday at 11:30 in the morning for some reason. The Gators have won their first three games as a member of the Big East and is ranked #9 in the country right now.