University of Massachusets Athletics
'Defending' A-10 Champions
May 24, 2000 | Women's Lacrosse
May 24, 2000
By RYAN NADEAU
The Maroon & White
Sports cliches are overused. We've all heard them thousands of times. We know them by heart, and we've to expect them. Following a five-overtime playoff game, it's a guarantee that the winning coach will say the words, "It's a shame one team had to lose that game. Both teams deserved to win."
It is also true that, invariably, at some point during a contract discussion a star player will say that, "It's not about the money."
The worst thing about cliches is that they are so overused that they are rarely accurate. However, every now and then you can find one that fits like an old worn glove.
Take for example the old adage, "Defense wins championships." That was the case during the Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Championship held on Ruth J. Totman Field on May 6 and 7.
The Minutewomen played excellent team defense en route to their first ever A-10 women's lacrosse title. Standing in UMass' way were two of the top scoring teams in the country, Virginia Tech and Temple.
UMass entered the weekend with the third best scoring defense in the nation, allowing a meager 6.93 goals per game. But the semifinal matchup was against a Virginia Tech team that had already beaten the Minutewomen, 8-6, on Totman Field earlier in the season. The Hokies came into the game with the fifth highest scoring player in the country, Dawn Will.
Will earned A-10 Player of the Year honors following a regular season in which she netted a league-record 74 points on 61 goals and 13 assists. She had also scorched UMass for five goals in last year's semifinal game in Philadelphia.
First-year head coach Phil Barnes was understandably a little concerned, but he was not worried. He knew he had some of the best defensive players in the country at his disposal. Getting the nod to cover Will was four-time IWCLA Northeast region All-America defender Lynne Young. The senior co-captain was coming off a regular season in which she established herself as not only one of the best one-on-one defenders in the region, but also as one of the best in the country.
Young held Will scoreless in the game, and with plenty of help from teammates, the Minutewomen defeated the Hokies, 10-9, in an exciting fast-paced game played in scorching heat and high humidity.
"That was one of the best individual defensive performances I've seen," said Barnes of Young's defense on Will. "We really needed Lynne to contain Will. She did an excellent job. It gave our offense the opportunity to win the game."
And when the opportunity presented itself, the Minutewomen took advantage. Senior Stephanie Pavlick netted three goals and junior Rachel Ingraffea scored the game-winner late in the second half to secure the win for UMass.
Following the victory it was time for the Minutewomen to rest, drink plenty of water and prepare for Temple and its All-America attacker Kelly Ruch.
Again drawing the assignment on Ruch was Young. Ruch was coming off a game against Duquesne in which she scored an A-10 Championship record four goals and five assists. If the Minutewomen were going to hoist the championship trophy over their heads following the game, they needed to shut down Ruch.
"When we talked about what we needed to do in order to win, the discussion invariably led to stopping Ruch," said Barnes. "Temple's offense revolves around her. If we could limit her role in the offense then chances were pretty good that we would have a shot to win the game."
Not only did the Minutewomen shut down Ruch, who was held scoreless, they also managed to shut down the entire Temple offense. The Owls only managed to score one goal through the first 59 minutes of the game.
The Owls had their chances early in the first half, but junior goaltender Jen Nardi came up huge for the Minute-women. Nardi made nine saves, many of the spectacular variety, in limiting Temple to one goal in the half. The goal was matched by UMass and the teams entered halftime tied 1-1.
UMass played extremely tight defense in the second half, allowing the Owls only six shots on net. Senior defenders Jessica Passanese and Colleen Wales and junior Denise Brey made life miserable for the Temple attackers.
When UMass freshman midfielder Lydia Robinson scored with 7:40 remaining in regulation time, it looked as if the Minutewomen were going to win the title, but then Temple managed to crack the defensive wall. Jen Jefferson picked up a deflected ball and beat Nardi with one minute left on the clock and the game went to overtime.
Temple looked as if it had gained the momentum. The Owls peppered Nardi with two good scoring chances early, but she was up to the task, making two nice saves. Pavlick then scored on a fast break 2:21 into the first overtime. The goal held up and the Minutewomen savored the championship trophy on their home field. The postseason title was UMass' first since winning the NCAA national championship in 1982.
"It was a great weekend," said Barnes. "The whole team played extremely well. This was a great win for our program, and it's a great way for our nine seniors to end their careers."