Graduate student makes impact off the bench for Vermont women's lacrosse

No. 1 Vermont women's lacrosse faced a tied game midway through the third after allowing three unanswered goals.

The Catamounts' leading goal scorer Jane Trauger and head coach Sarah Dalton Graddock prided the team on having players 1-7 with the ability to score and having strong depth. That showed up in the America East semifinals game against No. 4 UMBC on Friday, May 1.

Graduate student Maddie Erskine provided back-to-back goals in the third quarter, helping propel Vermont (10-6) to a 10-7 win. The Catamounts advance to the America East championship game for the first time since 2022.

The America East championship game will be played on Sunday, May 3 at noon on Virtue Field.

"Obviously those two goals were huge," Graddock said. "She had some great shots and finishes for us."

Erskine scored on nearly identical plays while cutting towards the right side of the goal. The first goal snapped a nearly 12-minute scoring drought on a woman-up opportunity. Following her second goal, the parents in the crowd started chanting "Maddie, Maddie."

BACK-TO-BACK GOALS FROM MADDIE ERSKINE 🔥🔥#LetsRallypic.twitter.com/HDjmHb7jym— UVM Women's Lacrosse (@UVMwlax) May 1, 2026

"The second one, I haven't been dodging a ton this year, but I just knew it was my time to dodge and saw an opening and just shot it," Erskine said. "It was exciting when it went into the back of the net."

While Erskine provided the boost Vermont needed to outlast a pesky Retrievers' team, the Catamounts showed why they earned the top seed with a scorching second quarter, scoring five unanswered goals. That run helped Vermont overcome a 3-1 deficit.

During that 5-0 run, the Catamounts dominated on multiple phases: strong shot selection, winning draw controls and forcing turnovers. That second quarter saw Vermont put 7-of-9 shots on goal, while winning three straight draw controls and forcing four turnovers.

Caitlin Haggerty gave Vermont its first lead of the game with 9:34 left in the second quarter, scoring immediately off a free-positioned chance. From there, the Catamounts never trailed the rest of the game despite UMBC's (7-8) run to close out the first half.

Among the second quarter offensive blitz, Lydia Doraz scored a hat trick in just over five minutes of game action. The junior completed the hat trick with her third goal coming on a shot through four defenders. Doraz also won seven of Vermont's eight first half draw controls.

DORAZ WITH A FIRST HALF HAT TRICK 🎩🎩🎩

Catamounts take a 6-3 lead 😼#LetsRallypic.twitter.com/wSveJw1yNy— UVM Women's Lacrosse (@UVMwlax) May 1, 2026

Haggerty was the only other multi-goal scorer for Vermont finishing with two goals. Doraz contributed four points on three goals and one assist while Erskine chipped in her two critical goals. Fairfax, Vermont native Ayla Shea finished with six saves in net.

For Erskine, this two-goal performance was a special moment for her as she battled through multiple knee injuries during her five-year career in Burlington. Those injuries limited her to just nine games in 2022 and three games in 2024.

The graduate student even got hurt in January of this year and did not know how much she would be able to contribute. Erskine entered the semifinals having scored just four goals and one assist in eight appearances. Now she is one win away from earning her and the team's second NCAA Tournament appearance.

"I'm so lucky to be back on the field and have my teammates, staff and coaches support me to be out there," Erskine said.

Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont women's lacrosse advances to America East championship