University of Massachusets Athletics
Dealing With Ups and Downs
October 09, 2001 | Women's Soccer
By JORMA KANSANEN
The Maroon & White
The past two seasons for the University of Massachusetts women's soccer program have brought with them a series of ups and downs, both psychologically and physically.
Up - UMass qualifies for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the seventh and eighth consecutive seasons, the only team in the conference to accomplish such a feat. Down - consecutive losses in the A-10 Championship to Xavier University at home (1999) and on the road (2000) which left the team abjectly heartbroken after winning seasons.
Over the past two seasons, the UMass offense was sporadic. Players like all-time leading scorer Emma Kurowski and all-time assists leader Kara Green were the sole consistent scoring threats for the Minutewomen. When they went down, unfortunately, the team's fortunes went down with them.
Up-beat and positive from the start, UMass has rebounded strongly this season with its first national ranking since the 1998 season (No. 19 after their 4-3 win over intrastate rival Boston College). The Minutewomen have continued to stay in the Top 25 thanks to a plethora of scoring threats that now don the maroon and white.
The dynamic duo of sophomore Erin Lilly and freshman Stephanie Santos have combined with under and upperclassmen alike to form a formidable team-wide offensive threat. Like a young Muhammad Ali in his prime, the offense has danced around, jabbed consistently and rope-a-doped their opponents into submission from a variety of angles.
With the help of teammates like freshman Erica Wideberg and Northeast Regional All-American Brooke Bartlett., Lilly and Santos combined to register 14 points in two key regional matches against Binghamton (6-2 victory) and Rhode Island (3-1 victory) in their conference schedule opener. Incredibly, the duo either assisted or scored on all but two of the nine goals while Wideberg registered one for the highlight reel with a spectacular assist on one of the two other tallies.
Coach Jim Rudy sees the entire forward corps as a series of varying styles that when put together forms a dynamic mix of athleticism, grit and skill. If all stay healthy, their range and diversity of play mixes well with a style of attack that comes from all angles.
"Young in years - old in experience," Rudy said. "Santos, Lilly and Wideberg give us a diversity and change of style up front. Lilly targets and takes on, Santos passes and dances, whileWideberg brings strength and speed. One style goes off, a different method of attack comes on.
"With only three primary forwards, we have quality but not necessarily great depth up front. So, the 'Kiddie Corps' or 'Young Guns' are going to have to share the load and stay healthy for us to have continued success. Nevertheless, with those three we'll have an exciting attack for years to come."
Lilly's freshman season was indicative of the team's fortunes - an up-and-down ride. A variety of on and off the field distractions and injuries hampered her attempt to get into a flow. Yet, she was still named to the 2000 All-A-10 Rookie Team and this past spring began to emerge as the strong, skillful and gritty player Rudy recruited from Shenendehowa H.S. and the Region I Olympic Developmental Team.
"A big adjustment last year for me was the size of many of our opponents," Lilly said. "Most players don't lift in high school and there is definitely a difference when you get to college. Also, I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life when I got here which really just made me want to go home."
For Rudy, the second all-time leading scorer at Shenendehowa (85 goals, 36 assists) and first team All-New York selection began to emerge after a tough start and no one else could be happier for her. Like the trademark Ali rope-a-dope, Lilly has bounced off the ropes and attacked the team's opponents with fervor and perseverance this season.
"In our postseason interviews, she said, 'Coach, that wasn't the real me out there. I promise you'll be pleased with my play soon.' Fall to Spring semester was like night and day with her," said Rudy. "Lil played with a 'jeau de vive' - ebullient, exciting and dynamic!"
The switch in roles from first sub to starter, after the UConn game gave Santos and Wideberg the chance to flourish. For Santos, the only difference is that her success has been more tangible. The key to her early scoring surge (four goals, two assists in four games) has been two-fold: one, a cohesive partnership with Lilly, and two, hard work when it counts the most.
"Erin is a great player and awesome to play with because she knows exactly what to do with the ball as soon as it comes to her," Santos said. "Whether it's to pass, dribble or shoot it. We have a great connection and work well together on and off the field.
"I go to practice everyday and work as hard as I can every time. When it comes to the games I take that momentum with me. The success that I have achieved has come from the hard work at practice from both me and the team."
In a short time, Santos has gone from sitting to scintillating. The first day of preseason she was diagnosed with pneumonia and had to sit out the first few days of practice. Since that time, she has recovered quickly and admirably. No surprise to Rudy who has watched with her with bated expectation as she danced and strode skillfully through and past the fall 2000 No. 3 nationally-ranked Ludlow H.S. scoring records (28 goals, 26 assists, 128 career points).
"As her illness ameliorated, she progressed and eventually moved into the starting lineup," Rudy said. "She's been successful because: one, she connects with a high degree of success and finds the open player, and two, she has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. She finds the niches and hole in a team's defense with regularity."
All and all, the early success of Lilly, Santos and concurrently the Minute-women, is temporal in nature, but ultimately the UMass women's soccer program has always been measured by success in the postseason.
Down the line, this early recognition will hopefully translate to team recognition later in the season. Lilly and Santos appreciate the individual accolades they have received but it does not compare to what the team wants to achieve: a sixth A-10 Championship and a 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"Our long term goal is definitely reaching the NCAA Tournament," Lilly said. "But for now, I think it's good to take each game at a time and keep our focus on reaching goals that we set each week- the rest will fall into place."
"I think our team is great this year," Santos said. "Each and everyone on the team works hard and well together. There's a great connection between everyone. I think this season will be a good one. We have got off to a great start and hopefully with more success to come."
The Maroon & White
The past two seasons for the University of Massachusetts women's soccer program have brought with them a series of ups and downs, both psychologically and physically.
Up - UMass qualifies for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the seventh and eighth consecutive seasons, the only team in the conference to accomplish such a feat. Down - consecutive losses in the A-10 Championship to Xavier University at home (1999) and on the road (2000) which left the team abjectly heartbroken after winning seasons.
Over the past two seasons, the UMass offense was sporadic. Players like all-time leading scorer Emma Kurowski and all-time assists leader Kara Green were the sole consistent scoring threats for the Minutewomen. When they went down, unfortunately, the team's fortunes went down with them.
Up-beat and positive from the start, UMass has rebounded strongly this season with its first national ranking since the 1998 season (No. 19 after their 4-3 win over intrastate rival Boston College). The Minutewomen have continued to stay in the Top 25 thanks to a plethora of scoring threats that now don the maroon and white.
The dynamic duo of sophomore Erin Lilly and freshman Stephanie Santos have combined with under and upperclassmen alike to form a formidable team-wide offensive threat. Like a young Muhammad Ali in his prime, the offense has danced around, jabbed consistently and rope-a-doped their opponents into submission from a variety of angles.
With the help of teammates like freshman Erica Wideberg and Northeast Regional All-American Brooke Bartlett., Lilly and Santos combined to register 14 points in two key regional matches against Binghamton (6-2 victory) and Rhode Island (3-1 victory) in their conference schedule opener. Incredibly, the duo either assisted or scored on all but two of the nine goals while Wideberg registered one for the highlight reel with a spectacular assist on one of the two other tallies.
Coach Jim Rudy sees the entire forward corps as a series of varying styles that when put together forms a dynamic mix of athleticism, grit and skill. If all stay healthy, their range and diversity of play mixes well with a style of attack that comes from all angles.
"Young in years - old in experience," Rudy said. "Santos, Lilly and Wideberg give us a diversity and change of style up front. Lilly targets and takes on, Santos passes and dances, whileWideberg brings strength and speed. One style goes off, a different method of attack comes on.
"With only three primary forwards, we have quality but not necessarily great depth up front. So, the 'Kiddie Corps' or 'Young Guns' are going to have to share the load and stay healthy for us to have continued success. Nevertheless, with those three we'll have an exciting attack for years to come."
Lilly's freshman season was indicative of the team's fortunes - an up-and-down ride. A variety of on and off the field distractions and injuries hampered her attempt to get into a flow. Yet, she was still named to the 2000 All-A-10 Rookie Team and this past spring began to emerge as the strong, skillful and gritty player Rudy recruited from Shenendehowa H.S. and the Region I Olympic Developmental Team.
"A big adjustment last year for me was the size of many of our opponents," Lilly said. "Most players don't lift in high school and there is definitely a difference when you get to college. Also, I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life when I got here which really just made me want to go home."
For Rudy, the second all-time leading scorer at Shenendehowa (85 goals, 36 assists) and first team All-New York selection began to emerge after a tough start and no one else could be happier for her. Like the trademark Ali rope-a-dope, Lilly has bounced off the ropes and attacked the team's opponents with fervor and perseverance this season.
"In our postseason interviews, she said, 'Coach, that wasn't the real me out there. I promise you'll be pleased with my play soon.' Fall to Spring semester was like night and day with her," said Rudy. "Lil played with a 'jeau de vive' - ebullient, exciting and dynamic!"
The switch in roles from first sub to starter, after the UConn game gave Santos and Wideberg the chance to flourish. For Santos, the only difference is that her success has been more tangible. The key to her early scoring surge (four goals, two assists in four games) has been two-fold: one, a cohesive partnership with Lilly, and two, hard work when it counts the most.
"Erin is a great player and awesome to play with because she knows exactly what to do with the ball as soon as it comes to her," Santos said. "Whether it's to pass, dribble or shoot it. We have a great connection and work well together on and off the field.
"I go to practice everyday and work as hard as I can every time. When it comes to the games I take that momentum with me. The success that I have achieved has come from the hard work at practice from both me and the team."
In a short time, Santos has gone from sitting to scintillating. The first day of preseason she was diagnosed with pneumonia and had to sit out the first few days of practice. Since that time, she has recovered quickly and admirably. No surprise to Rudy who has watched with her with bated expectation as she danced and strode skillfully through and past the fall 2000 No. 3 nationally-ranked Ludlow H.S. scoring records (28 goals, 26 assists, 128 career points).
"As her illness ameliorated, she progressed and eventually moved into the starting lineup," Rudy said. "She's been successful because: one, she connects with a high degree of success and finds the open player, and two, she has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. She finds the niches and hole in a team's defense with regularity."
All and all, the early success of Lilly, Santos and concurrently the Minute-women, is temporal in nature, but ultimately the UMass women's soccer program has always been measured by success in the postseason.
Down the line, this early recognition will hopefully translate to team recognition later in the season. Lilly and Santos appreciate the individual accolades they have received but it does not compare to what the team wants to achieve: a sixth A-10 Championship and a 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"Our long term goal is definitely reaching the NCAA Tournament," Lilly said. "But for now, I think it's good to take each game at a time and keep our focus on reaching goals that we set each week- the rest will fall into place."
"I think our team is great this year," Santos said. "Each and everyone on the team works hard and well together. There's a great connection between everyone. I think this season will be a good one. We have got off to a great start and hopefully with more success to come."
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