University of Massachusets Athletics
2002: A Lacrosse Season for the Ages
June 19, 2002 | Men's Lacrosse
by Ryan Nadeau
The Maroon & White
The 2002 Minuteman lacrosse season was one for the ages. There was excitement from the opening faceoff in late February to the final goal in mid-May. The Minutemen won three games with goals in the last minute; defeated nationally-ranked teams Georgetown, Navy and Brown; lost two overtime heartbreakers; and captured the ECAC and New England titles en route to making their 14th NCAA Tournament in the program's storied history. Here is a timeline recapping one of the greatest lacrosse seasons in school history.
Dec. 20, 2001
The 2002 Face-Off Lacrosse Yearbook ranked Massachusetts a preseason No. 12. The national magazine also selects midfielder Kevin Leveille a preseason first team All-American. Senior defenseman Matt McFarland is named to the second team and senior midfielder Don Little is named an honorable mention All-American.
Jan. 22, 2002
Four different Minutemen are named to the preseason All-ECAC Lacrosse team. Leveille, McFarland and Little are joined on the team by senior attackman Marc Morley. In a vote by league coaches, the Minutemen are selected to finish second in the league behind Georgetown.
Feb. 23, 2002
The Minutemen opened the season at home with an exciting 12-11 overtime loss to regional rival Hofstra. The Pride scored a goal with two seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime, where they won with a goal off the opening faceoff. The Minutemen were down by three goals at the half, but rallied in the third and fourth quarters to take a one-goal lead with less than four minutes remaining. Leveille and senior attackman Dan Paccione led the way for the Minutemen, with each netting three goals. Junior Chris Fiore and sophomore Jeff Zywicki each had a pair of goals. Freshman Craig Conn netted his first career goal.
March 2, 2002
Massachusetts scored five goals in the third quarter and Paccione netted the game-winner with 52 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Minutemen to a 9-8 road victory over Stony Brook. The Seawolves had a 3-1 lead before the Minutemen rattled off five straight goals to open the second half and take command. Zywicki led the team with two goals, while Morley recorded three assists for the second straight game. Senior Rob Schneider made a career-high 14 saves in the cage.
March 9, 2002
Paccione scored four goals and Leveille had three goals and two assists to lead Massachusetts to a 13-10 road victory over Navy in the ECAC Lacrosse opener. The Minutemen outscored the Mids, 7-1, in the second quarter to take command of the game. Morley had two goals and three assists in the game, while freshman attacker Gene Tundo netted a goal and three assists in his first collegiate start. Fiore, Zywicki and senior Dusty Smith all added a goal and an assist in the game.
March 11, 2002
Paccione was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week, and Tundo earned ECAC Rookie of the Week honors following the victory over Navy.
March 13, 2002
The Minutemen score six third quarter goals to break open a low-scoring game en route to a 10-3 victory over Vermont. Vermont scored a goal less than three minutes into the third quarter to tie the game, 1-1, before the Minutemen took control. Massachusetts got four goals from Paccione and two from Morley in the second half. Sophomore Kevin Glenz netted his first career goal.
March 16, 2002
Massachusetts scored five goals in the final 7:38 to come from behind for a thrilling 15-14 victory over Brown. The Bears looked to have control of the game when they scored two straight goals to take a 14-10 lead with 7:45 remaining in regulation. However, McFarland scored seven seconds later to give UMass some momentum. Fiore, Leveille and Zywicki all followed with goals to tie the game, 14-14, with 3:13 remaining. Leveille then netted his second goal with 49 seconds left in regulation to give the Minutemen the victory. Fiore and Morley each finished the game with three goals, while Tundo and Zywicki each had two. Freshman goaltender Bill Schell made his first appearance of the season when he replaced Schneider in the cage at the 7:45 mark of the fourth quarter.
March 19, 2002
Ten different Minutemen score goals as Massachusetts defeated Albany 16-6. Morley finished the game with four goals, while Fiore, Glenz and sophomore Neil Lundberg all added two goals. Conn had a goal and three assists, and Schell made 10 saves in his first career start.
March 23, 2002
Paccione netted a career-high six goals to lead the Minutemen to a 19-5 victory over Hartford. The Minutemen scored at least four goals in every quarter and controlled the game from the start. Fiore, Leveille and Morley all had three goals each, while Tundo and Zywicki each had three assists. Schell continued his solid play in the cage, making 12 saves.
March 27, 2002
Paccione was named WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week, and Conn was ECAC Rookie of the Week following the victories over Albany and Hartford.
March 30, 2002
The Minutemen continued their late-game heroics by scoring two goals in the last minute to defeat Penn State 13-12 in a crucial ECAC road game. Fiore tied the game with an unassisted goal at the 49-second mark, before Leveille scored off a feed from Little. Fiore finished the game with a career-high five goals. Paccione and Morley each had two goals, while Little had a goal and two assists. Schell made 12 saves in the cage.
April 3, 2002
Fiore is named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week following the last-second road victory over Penn State.
April 6, 2002
Massachusetts extended its winning streak to eight games with a convincing 18-7 victory over league rival UMBC. Leveille led all scorers with four goals, while Little and Morley each had hat tricks. Fiore, Paccione and Smith all had two goals in the game. Conn wins 17 of 23 faceoffs and scores a goal.
April 8, 2002
Conn named ECAC Rookie of the Week following his impressive showing against UMBC in the faceoff circle.
April 13, 2002
Massachusetts suffers its first defeat since the season-opener, as Yale upsets the Minutemen 11-9. The Minutemen held a 6-5 halftime lead but were outscored 6-3 in the second half. Fiore and Paccione each had two goals for the Minutemen, but Yale managed to hold Leveille and Morley scoreless for the first time all season.
April 17, 2002
The Minutemen capture the 400th victory in the program's 49-year history as they defeat Harvard, 18-10. Morley leads the way with four goals and Fiore and Leveille each score three. Little and Paccione each add two goals, while freshman Ryan Connolly nets his first career goal. Schell finished the game with 13 saves. Morley reached the 100 point plateau for his career with the four goals in the game.
April 20, 2002
Massachusetts secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by upsetting previously undefeated Georgetown, 16-13. The victory assured the Minutemen the automatic bid by virtue of winning the ECAC Lacrosse League title. The Minutemen jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter and held on for the victory. Leveille led the way offensively with four goals, while Schell made a career-high 20 saves in the cage. Fiore, Little, Paccione, Morley and Zywicki all had two goals each, while Tundo had a career-high four assists.
April 22, 2002
Leveille and Tundo are named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week respectively following the victories over Harvard and Georgetown. Leveille is also named WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week.
April 26, 2002
Syracuse defeated Massachusetts 18-10 in a Friday night game at the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen went on an 8-0 run in the first half to break open a 2-2 game. Leveille and Morley each had three goals for the Minutemen. Little added two goals and an assist, while Fiore had a goal and two assists. Schell finished the game with 15 saves.
May 4, 2002
The Minutemen closed out the regular season with a 21-9 victory over Rutgers in front of 2,659 fans at Richard F. Garber Field. The victory secured the ECAC Lacrosse title outright for the Minutemen, who shared the title with Georgetown in 2001. Morley had a career-high six goals, while Glenz recorded his first career hat trick. Conn, Fiore, Leveille, Lundberg and Tundo all had two goals for the Minutemen. Paccione and Zywicki both had a goal and three assists. Leveille reached the 100-point plateau for his career when he scored the first goal of the game.
May 5, 2002
The Minutemen gather at the Hangar Bar & Grill to watch the NCAA selection show. They learn they will be headed to Providence for a North Region game and that their first round opponent will be Fairfield.
May 8, 2002
Morley is named WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week for his six goals in the victory over Rutgers.
May 9, 2002
Head coach Greg Cannella is named the ECAC Lacrosse Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Tundo earns co-Rookie of the Year honors, and Fiore, Leveille, McFarland, Morley and Paccione are all named first team All-ECAC. Junior defenseman Tom Fallon and Little are named to the second team.
May 11, 2002
Massachusetts erupts for 11 second half goals to rout Fairfield 17-4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on a game televised live by Fox Sports Net New York. Fairfield tied the game, 2-2, with less than a minute left in the first quarter before Massachusetts scored 14 straight goals to take command of the game. Little led the way for the Minutemen with four goals and an assist. Paccione finished with three goals, while Leveille, Morley and Smith each had two goals. Schell made eight saves in the cage while allowing just four goals. It was the fourth NCAA Tournament victory in school history.
May 13, 2002
Head coach Greg Cannella earned New England Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Leveille, McFarland, Morley were all named first team All-New England, while Fiore and Fallon earn second team honors. As a team, the Minutemen captured the New England championship for the 18th time in the program's history and second straight season.
May 14, 2002
Senior defensive midfielder Paul Hutchen is named a scholar-athlete by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.
May 19, 2002
In one of the best lacrosse games in school history, top-seeded Johns Hopkins defeats Massachusetts, 13-12, in overtime in front of 7,468 fans at Homewood Field in Baltimore. The Blue Jays looked to be in control of the game as they held an 8-2 halftime lead. However, the Minutemen opened the second half with eight straight goals to take a 10-8 lead before Johns Hopkins responded. The Blue Jays then rattled off four straight goals to take a 12-10 lead. With under a minute to play in regulation the Blue Jays turned the ball over and Massachusetts got a goal from Leveille with 25 seconds remaining in regulation to pull the Minutemen within one. Conn then won the ensuing faceoff and Fiore scored with 12 seconds left to tie the game, 12-12. Johns Hopkins won the game 2:19 into the first overtime. Fiore led the way for the Minutemen with four goals, while Leveille and Little each had three goals. Zywicki added two goals and Morley had two assists.
May 20, 2002
Zywicki is named to the ECAC All-Academic team. The sophomore electrical engineering major finished the season with 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points.
May 28, 2002
Four Minutemen earn USILA All-America honors. Leveille is named to the second team, McFarland is named to the third team and Fiore and Morley both earn honorable mention recognition. McFarland becomes the ninth player in the program's history to be named a three-time All-America.
This story was originally published in The Maroon & White. For subscription information please call the Athletic Development Office at (413) 545-4290.
The Maroon & White
The 2002 Minuteman lacrosse season was one for the ages. There was excitement from the opening faceoff in late February to the final goal in mid-May. The Minutemen won three games with goals in the last minute; defeated nationally-ranked teams Georgetown, Navy and Brown; lost two overtime heartbreakers; and captured the ECAC and New England titles en route to making their 14th NCAA Tournament in the program's storied history. Here is a timeline recapping one of the greatest lacrosse seasons in school history.
Dec. 20, 2001
The 2002 Face-Off Lacrosse Yearbook ranked Massachusetts a preseason No. 12. The national magazine also selects midfielder Kevin Leveille a preseason first team All-American. Senior defenseman Matt McFarland is named to the second team and senior midfielder Don Little is named an honorable mention All-American.
Jan. 22, 2002
Four different Minutemen are named to the preseason All-ECAC Lacrosse team. Leveille, McFarland and Little are joined on the team by senior attackman Marc Morley. In a vote by league coaches, the Minutemen are selected to finish second in the league behind Georgetown.
Feb. 23, 2002
The Minutemen opened the season at home with an exciting 12-11 overtime loss to regional rival Hofstra. The Pride scored a goal with two seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime, where they won with a goal off the opening faceoff. The Minutemen were down by three goals at the half, but rallied in the third and fourth quarters to take a one-goal lead with less than four minutes remaining. Leveille and senior attackman Dan Paccione led the way for the Minutemen, with each netting three goals. Junior Chris Fiore and sophomore Jeff Zywicki each had a pair of goals. Freshman Craig Conn netted his first career goal.
March 2, 2002
Massachusetts scored five goals in the third quarter and Paccione netted the game-winner with 52 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Minutemen to a 9-8 road victory over Stony Brook. The Seawolves had a 3-1 lead before the Minutemen rattled off five straight goals to open the second half and take command. Zywicki led the team with two goals, while Morley recorded three assists for the second straight game. Senior Rob Schneider made a career-high 14 saves in the cage.
March 9, 2002
Paccione scored four goals and Leveille had three goals and two assists to lead Massachusetts to a 13-10 road victory over Navy in the ECAC Lacrosse opener. The Minutemen outscored the Mids, 7-1, in the second quarter to take command of the game. Morley had two goals and three assists in the game, while freshman attacker Gene Tundo netted a goal and three assists in his first collegiate start. Fiore, Zywicki and senior Dusty Smith all added a goal and an assist in the game.
March 11, 2002
Paccione was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week, and Tundo earned ECAC Rookie of the Week honors following the victory over Navy.
March 13, 2002
The Minutemen score six third quarter goals to break open a low-scoring game en route to a 10-3 victory over Vermont. Vermont scored a goal less than three minutes into the third quarter to tie the game, 1-1, before the Minutemen took control. Massachusetts got four goals from Paccione and two from Morley in the second half. Sophomore Kevin Glenz netted his first career goal.
March 16, 2002
Massachusetts scored five goals in the final 7:38 to come from behind for a thrilling 15-14 victory over Brown. The Bears looked to have control of the game when they scored two straight goals to take a 14-10 lead with 7:45 remaining in regulation. However, McFarland scored seven seconds later to give UMass some momentum. Fiore, Leveille and Zywicki all followed with goals to tie the game, 14-14, with 3:13 remaining. Leveille then netted his second goal with 49 seconds left in regulation to give the Minutemen the victory. Fiore and Morley each finished the game with three goals, while Tundo and Zywicki each had two. Freshman goaltender Bill Schell made his first appearance of the season when he replaced Schneider in the cage at the 7:45 mark of the fourth quarter.
March 19, 2002
Ten different Minutemen score goals as Massachusetts defeated Albany 16-6. Morley finished the game with four goals, while Fiore, Glenz and sophomore Neil Lundberg all added two goals. Conn had a goal and three assists, and Schell made 10 saves in his first career start.
March 23, 2002
Paccione netted a career-high six goals to lead the Minutemen to a 19-5 victory over Hartford. The Minutemen scored at least four goals in every quarter and controlled the game from the start. Fiore, Leveille and Morley all had three goals each, while Tundo and Zywicki each had three assists. Schell continued his solid play in the cage, making 12 saves.
March 27, 2002
Paccione was named WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week, and Conn was ECAC Rookie of the Week following the victories over Albany and Hartford.
March 30, 2002
The Minutemen continued their late-game heroics by scoring two goals in the last minute to defeat Penn State 13-12 in a crucial ECAC road game. Fiore tied the game with an unassisted goal at the 49-second mark, before Leveille scored off a feed from Little. Fiore finished the game with a career-high five goals. Paccione and Morley each had two goals, while Little had a goal and two assists. Schell made 12 saves in the cage.
April 3, 2002
Fiore is named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week following the last-second road victory over Penn State.
April 6, 2002
Massachusetts extended its winning streak to eight games with a convincing 18-7 victory over league rival UMBC. Leveille led all scorers with four goals, while Little and Morley each had hat tricks. Fiore, Paccione and Smith all had two goals in the game. Conn wins 17 of 23 faceoffs and scores a goal.
April 8, 2002
Conn named ECAC Rookie of the Week following his impressive showing against UMBC in the faceoff circle.
April 13, 2002
Massachusetts suffers its first defeat since the season-opener, as Yale upsets the Minutemen 11-9. The Minutemen held a 6-5 halftime lead but were outscored 6-3 in the second half. Fiore and Paccione each had two goals for the Minutemen, but Yale managed to hold Leveille and Morley scoreless for the first time all season.
April 17, 2002
The Minutemen capture the 400th victory in the program's 49-year history as they defeat Harvard, 18-10. Morley leads the way with four goals and Fiore and Leveille each score three. Little and Paccione each add two goals, while freshman Ryan Connolly nets his first career goal. Schell finished the game with 13 saves. Morley reached the 100 point plateau for his career with the four goals in the game.
April 20, 2002
Massachusetts secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by upsetting previously undefeated Georgetown, 16-13. The victory assured the Minutemen the automatic bid by virtue of winning the ECAC Lacrosse League title. The Minutemen jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter and held on for the victory. Leveille led the way offensively with four goals, while Schell made a career-high 20 saves in the cage. Fiore, Little, Paccione, Morley and Zywicki all had two goals each, while Tundo had a career-high four assists.
April 22, 2002
Leveille and Tundo are named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week respectively following the victories over Harvard and Georgetown. Leveille is also named WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week.
April 26, 2002
Syracuse defeated Massachusetts 18-10 in a Friday night game at the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen went on an 8-0 run in the first half to break open a 2-2 game. Leveille and Morley each had three goals for the Minutemen. Little added two goals and an assist, while Fiore had a goal and two assists. Schell finished the game with 15 saves.
May 4, 2002
The Minutemen closed out the regular season with a 21-9 victory over Rutgers in front of 2,659 fans at Richard F. Garber Field. The victory secured the ECAC Lacrosse title outright for the Minutemen, who shared the title with Georgetown in 2001. Morley had a career-high six goals, while Glenz recorded his first career hat trick. Conn, Fiore, Leveille, Lundberg and Tundo all had two goals for the Minutemen. Paccione and Zywicki both had a goal and three assists. Leveille reached the 100-point plateau for his career when he scored the first goal of the game.
May 5, 2002
The Minutemen gather at the Hangar Bar & Grill to watch the NCAA selection show. They learn they will be headed to Providence for a North Region game and that their first round opponent will be Fairfield.
May 8, 2002
Morley is named WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week for his six goals in the victory over Rutgers.
May 9, 2002
Head coach Greg Cannella is named the ECAC Lacrosse Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Tundo earns co-Rookie of the Year honors, and Fiore, Leveille, McFarland, Morley and Paccione are all named first team All-ECAC. Junior defenseman Tom Fallon and Little are named to the second team.
May 11, 2002
Massachusetts erupts for 11 second half goals to rout Fairfield 17-4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on a game televised live by Fox Sports Net New York. Fairfield tied the game, 2-2, with less than a minute left in the first quarter before Massachusetts scored 14 straight goals to take command of the game. Little led the way for the Minutemen with four goals and an assist. Paccione finished with three goals, while Leveille, Morley and Smith each had two goals. Schell made eight saves in the cage while allowing just four goals. It was the fourth NCAA Tournament victory in school history.
May 13, 2002
Head coach Greg Cannella earned New England Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Leveille, McFarland, Morley were all named first team All-New England, while Fiore and Fallon earn second team honors. As a team, the Minutemen captured the New England championship for the 18th time in the program's history and second straight season.
May 14, 2002
Senior defensive midfielder Paul Hutchen is named a scholar-athlete by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.
May 19, 2002
In one of the best lacrosse games in school history, top-seeded Johns Hopkins defeats Massachusetts, 13-12, in overtime in front of 7,468 fans at Homewood Field in Baltimore. The Blue Jays looked to be in control of the game as they held an 8-2 halftime lead. However, the Minutemen opened the second half with eight straight goals to take a 10-8 lead before Johns Hopkins responded. The Blue Jays then rattled off four straight goals to take a 12-10 lead. With under a minute to play in regulation the Blue Jays turned the ball over and Massachusetts got a goal from Leveille with 25 seconds remaining in regulation to pull the Minutemen within one. Conn then won the ensuing faceoff and Fiore scored with 12 seconds left to tie the game, 12-12. Johns Hopkins won the game 2:19 into the first overtime. Fiore led the way for the Minutemen with four goals, while Leveille and Little each had three goals. Zywicki added two goals and Morley had two assists.
May 20, 2002
Zywicki is named to the ECAC All-Academic team. The sophomore electrical engineering major finished the season with 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points.
May 28, 2002
Four Minutemen earn USILA All-America honors. Leveille is named to the second team, McFarland is named to the third team and Fiore and Morley both earn honorable mention recognition. McFarland becomes the ninth player in the program's history to be named a three-time All-America.
This story was originally published in The Maroon & White. For subscription information please call the Athletic Development Office at (413) 545-4290.
UMass MLAX | Broadcast Highlights vs Vermont | 03.07.26
Saturday, March 07
UMass MLAX | Broadcast Highlights vs Albany | 02.28.26
Saturday, February 28
MLAX | Merrimack vs Massachusetts | 02.07.26
Saturday, February 07
Plant the Flag With Kyle Smith
Friday, January 16