FAIRFAX, Va. – Despite a hat trick from Shannon Tuozzo, the George Mason women's lacrosse team fell to UMass, 20-8, to open its' Atlantic 10 schedule.
 
Tuozzo's hat trick marked her sixth-straight and seventh overall this season. She also tallied an assist for a team-high four points along with three draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover.
 
The Minutewomen (2-4, 1-0) got off to a quick start, scoring the game's opening two goals less than four minutes in. The UMass defense held Mason scoreless for a majority of the first frame until Tuozzo got the Patriots (6-2, 0-1) on the board with 2:49 remaining in the quarter to cut the lead in half at the break.
 
Mason knotted the game at two-each a minute into the second with a goal from Morgan Gunn. However, UMass responded with five-straight goals over the next six minutes to jump ahead 7-2 with 6:17 to go in the half. The Patriots did not back down though, scoring four of the next five goals spanning the end of the second and beginning of the third to cut the lead back to two (8-6) at the 10:07 mark of the third. 
 
The Minutewomen checked back in however, scoring 10 unanswered goals spanning 15 minutes to stretch the lead to 18-6 with nine minutes to go in the game. Both teams tacked on two more goals down the stretch as Tuozzo completed her hat trick and Lauren Distad found Dahlia Trippel for her first assist of the season as UMass cruised to the 20-8 victory.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• On offense, Chloe Reed (2) and Morgan Gunn (2) also tallied multiple points for the Patriots
• Defensively, three Patriots tallied two ground balls: Tuozzo, Dahlia Trippel and Meghan Deehan
• Trippel and Melanie Hutchinson also tallied caused turnovers on the defensive end
• On six power-play opportunities, Mason scored three woman-up goals

 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will play their final non-conference game of the season on Wednesday, March 13, when they travel to Longwood for a 4 p.m. draw.