University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Seeded No. 2 In A-10 Tournament
April 30, 2003 | Women's Lacrosse
April 30, 2003
Against Richmond: Friday's match-up against the Spiders marks the second straight year UMass and Richmond have met in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals. Last year the Spiders defeated the Minutewomen, 9-5. In the teams' only meeting this season, Massachusetts downed Richmond,11-6, in Amherst on April 13.
Fifth Straight: UMass enters its fifth straight A-10 Tournament with Friday's semifinal match-up. The Minutewomen have posted a 2-3 record in the conference postseason tournament, claiming the 2000 Atlantic 10 title.
In Champion Form: This year's Massachusetts squad (10-6) has posted 10 wins for the first time since the 2000 Atlantic 10 championship team finished the year 10-7-0.
History In The Making: If UMass earns a victory in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, giving them 11 wins on the year, it will be the first time a Minutewoman team has recorded more than 10 wins in a season since Pam Hixon led her 1983 squad to a 12-3-1 mark.
The Minutewomen's New Leader: Head Coach Carrie Bolduc is in her first season as the leader of the Minutewomen. She served as an assistant coach under former UMass coach Phil Barnes for three seasons from 2000-2002, before being named the new head coach in the off-season. Under Barnes, Bolduc assisted with the goalkeepers, game-day preparations and recruiting. During her three years as a member of the Minutewomen's staff, the team recorded a 24-18-0 record and claimed the 2000 Atlantic 10 Conference title. Bolduc, a 1999 graduate of Syracuse University, is currently pursuing a master's degree in Interior and Architectural Design at UMass. Her 10 wins are the most by a first-year UMass head coach since Phil Barnes posted a 10-7 record during his 2000 inaugural campaign.
Fountain Of Youth: The UMass coaching staff is comprised of three recent Syracuse graduates. Bolduc, a 1999 Syracuse graduate, was a team captain as both a junior and senior and helped lead the Orangewomen to the 1999 ECAC championship. Tegan Leonard, a 2001 graduate, and Karen Healy, a 2002 graduate, both participated in the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments while at Syracuse.
Senior Leadership: UMass sports eight seniors on this year's squad after it lost no players to graduation in 2002. The experience of these upperclassmen is evident on the field as seniors Jada Emery and Lydia Robinson are the team's scoring leaders. With 80 career goals each, the senior duo shares 10th place in the UMass record books for career goals.
Consistent Weapon: Robinson has been UMass' leader on offense this season. The senior has scored 41 goals this year, which tops the total (39) she scored in her first three years as a Minutewoman combined. Her offensive output ranks her third in the UMass record books in single-season goals and in a tie for 10th in career goals with 80.
Young Guns: Sophomore Maura McGarrity and junior Hope Zelinger have established themselves as the offensive leaders of UMass' underclassmen. McGarrity is eighth in the Atlantic 10 with 16 goals in conference games, while Zelinger is 12th with 13 goals.
Tough D: The Minutewomen's defense is one of the nation's toughest, ranked No. 10 in the country in scoring defense with 7.63 goals allowed. UMass is 7-2 when yielding six or fewer goals this year.
Wall Of Steel: Senior goalkeeper Cyndi Doyle's solid protection of the UMass net has made her one of the best goalies in the country. Doyle's 7.68 goals against average ranks her 11th in the NCAA standings, and also puts her atop of the conference. Doyle is also leading the Atlantic 10 with a 7.44 goals against average in conference games.
