Final Score: UMass 19, VCU 8

Location: Amherst, Mass. (Garber Field)

Records: UMass 6-3 (1-0), VCU 4-5 (0-1)

The Short Story: After trailing 9-0 in the first half against the Minutewomen, VCU battled back to get within 13-6 with 2:30 left in the first stanza but couldn't overcome the early deficit. 

QUICK FACTS

• The defending Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Keriann McTavish scored a team-high three goals for VCU.
• Molly Barcikowski scored one goal and added two assists for the Rams.
• Sky Hyatt added one goal and one assist for the Black and Gold.
• Sofia Emond, Isabella Evans-Riester and Clare Murphy also scored for VCU.
• Ria Peralta made 11 saves in the cage for the Rams.
• VCU went 14-of-19 on clear attempts while UMass was 13-of-16.
• The Minutewomen outshot VCU 37-21 overall and haven't lost a regular-season conference game since April 2010.

HOW IT HAPPENEND

• UMass took an early 9-0 lead with 14:16 left in the first half.
• The Rams responded and scored five goals before halftime to only trail 14-6 at the break.
• VCU cut the lead as close as seven goals on two separate occasions in the first half.
• UMass scored the first five goals out of halftime and led 19-6 with 11:46 remaining.
• The Rams scored the final two goals of the contest for the final margin.

WHAT'S NEXT 

VCU will host Duquesne at 1 p.m. on April 2 at Cary Street Field.