Taranto Records Eight Points and 50th Career Goal in 17-15 Loss to UBMC

Saturday, April 29

Durham, N.H.

11:30 AM

University of New Hampshire

5-9, 2-4

UMBC

8-6, 2-4

UMBC

New Hampshire

Photo by: Stu Horne

Taranto Records Eight Points and 50th Career Goal in 17-15 Loss to UBMC

4/29/2023 5:19:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

UNH Clinches Berth in America East Tourney, Will Play at UAlbany in a May 5 Semifinal

DURHAM, N.H. – Senior Katie Taranto (Brewster, N.Y.) scored a career-high seven goals on Senior Day, but the University of New Hampshire women's lacrosse team was edged 17-15 by UMBC in Saturday's regular-season finale at Tucker Field.

Despite the loss, UNH secured the fourth seed of the America East tournament by virtue of a three-way tiebreaker with UMBC and Bryant University. In the three-way tie, all three teams had a 1-1 record against each other; the decisive tiebreaker was goal differential: UNH finished at +2 in comparison to UMBC's +1 and Bryant's -3.

Taranto, who scored her 50^th career goal on her fifth tally of the game, was also credited with an assist to finish with a personal best of eight points.

Senior captain Izzy Holmes (Seattle, Wash.) scored a career-high four goals to match her best of four points. Grace Curran (North Salem, N.Y.), another senior, was the other Wildcat to tally multiple points with three goals.

Sophomore goalie Maria Hagan (Downers Grove, Ill.) was credited with 10 saves and two ground balls.

UMBC was led by Claire Bockstie (five goals), Megan Halczuk (four goals, one assist) and Katana Nelson (three goals). Isabella Fontana made six saves.

UNH, which closed the game on a 4-0 run to get that important edge in goal differential, is now 5-9 overall and 2-4 in America East. UMBC ends the season at 8-6, 2-4.

WLAX stats graphic 042923

UP NEXT

Fourth-seeded New Hampshire travels to play top-seeded and host UAlbany in a May 5 America East semifinal matchup. Game time is 1 p.m. at John Fallon Field.

FIRST QUARTER

UNH led 4-2 with a 7-6 shot advantage through 15 minutes.
Bockstie's free-position goal gave the Retrievers a 1-0 lead at 13:32.
Senior captain Liv Dunn (Newbury, Mass.) leveled the score, 1-1, with an unassisted goal at 8:17.
Lauren Cremen scored a player-up goal at 3:56 to put UMBC back in front, 2-1.
The Wildcats scored three goals in the last 2:15 of the quarter to surge ahead.
Taranto forged the second tie of the game at 2:15 and scored again 45 seconds later on a free position to give the 'Cats their first lead, 3-2.
Curran rolled to the top of the circle and finished a feed from Taranto to extend UNH's lead to 4-2 with 18 seconds on the clock.

SECOND QUARTER

UNH repeated its 7-6 shot advantage in the second quarter but this time outscored the visitors by a 6-3 margin to take a 10-5 lead into halftime.
UMBC scored at 14:34 and 13:53 to tie the score, 4-4.
The Wildcats responded with four consecutive goals to build an 8-4 advantage.
Curran converted a pass from Allie Connerty (Norwell, Mass.) into a goal and 5-4 lead at 11:46.
Holmes beat a defender down the right side of the fan for a goal at 10:41 and then dodged right from the top of the circle to score another goal 57 seconds later to push the margin to 7-4.
Curran's free-position goal – her third tally of the game – gave the Wildcats an 8-4 lead at 8:59.
Bockstie's third tally of the game ended UNH's run and trimmed the margin to 8-5 at 6:51.
Taranto struck again 50 seconds later however, when she doubled back down the right side of the fan and scored on a high shot to give the 'Cats a 9-5 edge.
Taranto closed the first-half scoring with her fourth goal of the game on a free-position shot at 1:45.

THIRD QUARTER

UMBC seized momentum in the third quarter with a 14-4 shot advantage to outscore New Hampshire 8-0 and take a 13-10 lead.
Bockstie's next goal ignited the rally at 14:21 and Halczuk's goal lifted the Retrievers within 10-7 at 8:49.
Nelson scored goals 10 seconds apart to trim the deficit to 10-9 at 7:42.
Dymin Gerow's goal at 5:14 tied the score at 10.
Bockstie's fifth goal gave UMBC an 11-10 lead, which marked the visitor's first lead since 2-1.
The Retrievers pushed the advantage to 13-10 with goals at 2:35 and 1:08.

FOURTH QUARTER

UMBC built a 17-11 lead with 4:13 remaining, but a determined UNH squad battled back to put itself in position to win the playoff tiebreaker.
The Retrievers extended its run to 10 consecutive goals and lead to 15-10 with goals at 14:06 and 12:51.
Taranto scored at the right doorstep at 8:17 to lift the Wildcats within 15-11.
UMBC goals at 7:32 and 3:14 gave the visitors a commanding six-goal advantage.
The Retrievers controlled the ensuing draw, but Mackenzie MacEachern (Bedford, N.H.) immediately created a turnover with a stick check as teammate Olivia O'Connor (Hopkinton, Mass.) corralled the ground ball.
Taranto's free-position goal lifted the 'Cats within 17-12 at 3:14.
UMBC once again controlled the draw, but this time O'Connor forced the turnover as Emma Alpaugh (Darien, Conn.) gathered the ground ball.
Driving down the right side, Taranto fired a shot under the crossbar to trim the deficit to 17-13 at 2:25; it marked the fifth consecutive New Hampshire goal scored by Taranto.
UMBC won the next draw control, but MacEachern's stick check caused another turnover as Payton Maddaloni (Mattituck, N.Y.) scooped up the ground ball with 59 seconds remaining.
At the other end of the field, Holmes scored a free-position goal with 34 seconds on the clock to pull the Wildcats within 17-14.
MacEachern gained possession on the ensuing draw and then Holmes rifled a shot from the right side into the bottom-left corner with 18 seconds to play.
UMBC controlled the draw, advanced the ball into the attack zone and called time out with five seconds left.
On the restart from behind the goal on the right wing, the Retrievers lost the ball. Maddaloni gathered the ground ball to end the game at 17-15 and secure UNH's goal advantage for the subsequent tiebreaker.

GAME NOTEBOOK

UMBC recorded the advantage in shots (32-27), shots on goal (27-21) and draw controls (24-12).
UNH finished with the edge in ground balls (22-10) and turnovers (13-18); UMBC committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, including three in the final three minutes.
The Wildcats were successful on 14 of 17 clear attempts while the Retrievers were 11-for-14.
New Hampshire scored on all five of its free-position shots; UMBC was 5-for-8.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Taranto extended her goal streak to 13 games; she leads the team in goals (48) and points (53) this season.
Connerty extended her point streak to 16 games with 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points.
Taranto surpassed her previous benchmarks of six goals and six points, both established Feb. 18 at Dartmouth College; she had also tallied six points at Columbia University on March 30.
Holmes bested her previous career high of three goals; she also tallied four points this season vs. Merrimack College on Feb. 22.
Maddaloni equaled her high of three ground balls, which she established at Columbia.
Alpaugh led all players with five ground balls; she also had four draw controls and two caused turnovers.
MacEachern finished the game with three ground balls, three draw controls and three caused turnovers.
O'Connor was credited with four draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover.
This marked the fourth time this season Hagan recorded 10+ saves; she made four of those stops in the first quarter.
UNH recognized eight Wildcats in a post-game Senior Day ceremony. In addition to Alpaugh, Curran, Dunn, Holmes and Taranto, the 'Cats honored captain Jesslyn Hounchell (Cornwall, Vt.), Danielle Martineau (Gilford, N.H.) and captain Ava Schroeder (Niskayuna, N.Y.).