University of Massachusets Athletics
2006 Women's Lacrosse Season Preview
February 24, 2006 | Women's Lacrosse
Feb. 24, 2006
Entering the 2006 season, head coach Carrie Bolduc and the UMass women's lacrosse team aim to bounce back after a tough 2005 season and look to have the talent in place to accomplish their goals of re-establishing themselves as one of the top squads in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Bolduc, now in her fourth season as head coach, returns 10 starters and 18 letterwinners from a season ago. Additionally, her squad returns 83 percent of its offensive point production from 2005 highlighted by senior Kerri Connerty (Nashua, N.H.) and sophomore Kathleen Typadis (Medfield, Mass.) who combined for 70 goals and 94 points.
Leadership from her upperclassmen will be key as this is still a young team which will face a tough schedule featuring games against Boston University, Dartmouth, Syracuse, Hofstra, New Hampshire and Boston College - all before starting Atlantic 10 play.
"Coming back from last season, we were pretty disappointed in how we finished games," said Bolduc. "I think the girls, especially the upperclassmen, understand how important that is and are really going to make that a emphasis in our play. Our expectations are high coming into the season based on last year and what we did in the fall. There were expectations that were not met last year in the regular season, so it was disappointing and the girls that have come back understand that now. They understood that this fall and recognized how to make those changes and adjustments."
Along with Connerty, the Minutewomen will also look to seniors Lindsay Cassell (Weston, Mass.), Jackie Nesbitt (Springfield, Pa.), and Lauren Reid (Portland, Maine). Cassell is in her fifth season with UMass after receiving a medical redshirt in 2002. She is one of the most experienced offensive threats on the team with 41 career goals and is described by Bolduc as "our coach on the field." Combined with Connerty and Typadis up front, the Minutewomen look to have a lot of potential scoring threats.
Nesbitt anchors the defense and enters the season as one of the top defenders in the Atlantic 10. She finished last season ranked 11th in the NCAA with 56 groundballs and her quickness will help the transition game this year.
"Our seniors have seen it all. They saw us almost win the A-10's in their freshman year; they've seen some great highs, but also some lows," said Bolduc. "They have been blessed with great leaders and now they are the great leaders. Their objectives have been to be great leaders, captains and great people out on the field. They are that now."
"I think it is nice to have the balance on both ends of the field that Kerri and Jackie afford us," said Bolduc. "Kerri will be playing more on the attacking end rather than the midfield which will free her up more. We have more talent and depth in our midfield group this year, so I think we will see better things from Kerri because of that. She can really focus on the best of what she does which is leading, attacking, and finishing. With Jackie and Lindsay both being seniors we have the right people in the right places now and, based on their positions, they will be able to help us at the right time."
That leadership will be key in 2006. Despite returning 10 starters from last season, on paper, UMass is still a relatively young team with 17 of 24 players being freshmen or sophomores.
"We are still a young team even though we only lost two starters from last year. We have experienced players returning, however, as those freshmen from a year ago saw a lot of playing time," said Bolduc. "It is not that common for freshmen to get as much time as ours did last year. Our current freshmen this season are certainly more skilled and comfortable with the game - more so than we have had in the past. With so many returning players who understand what happened last year, who understand what it feels like to lose by one or two to nationally-ranked opponents, they now have the experience and know what it will take to win."
To instill that, Bolduc and the team spent an intensive fall season preparing for the 2006 campaign.
"We did a lot of coaching and teaching in the fall and gave the team as much experience as we could on the field with scrimmages and tournaments," said Bolduc. "The girls understand that success is about the details, the fine tuning, the discipline and they really comprehend that now. They get that it is about finishing what you start: whether it is conditioning, getting stronger, your academics in the class room or just playing lacrosse on the field. So that is the theme; it is about us stepping up from the beginning and finishing all the way through until the very end."
ATTACKERS
UMass returns a strong group of offensive threats this season highlighted by Connerty and Cassell. Connerty led the Minutewomen last season with 34 goals and 17 assists and should finish her career as one of the top scorers in program history needing just 22 goals to crack the Top 10 list. After playing more of a midfield position last year, look for Connerty to focus more on attack this year giving UMass a strong group up front.
Joining Cassell and Connerty will be Typadis who had a tremendous freshman season with 36 goals and seven assists. She started every game last season and finished the year with six hat tricks, 11 multi-goal games, and led the squad with 36 draw controls.
Adding depth to the group will be sophomores Katie Bottini (Wilton, Conn.), Kristina Twichell (Fayetteville, N.Y.) and Claire Mancini (Hillsborough, Calif.). Bottini saw improvement over the course of her freshman season and adds speed to the attack. She played in nine games, making two starts, and tallied three goals. Twichell is a balanced player who started five times in 11 games scoring a goal and adding two assists. Mancini enjoyed a stellar prep career scoring 113 goals and posted 54 assists.
MIDFIELDERS
The midfield group will be much stronger in 2006 with the return of junior Samantha Sepulveda (Freeport, N.Y.), an experienced group of sophomores and the addition of two High School All-Americans.
Sepulveda started all 17 games last season and finished second on the team in draw controls with 32. One of the fastest players on the team, Sepulveda will be a key figure in the transition game for UMass.
Sophomores Julie Papaleo (Manlius, N.Y.) and Jeannette Villapiano (Ocean Township, N.J.) played well as freshmen and will help Sepulveda provide leadership and stability in the midfield. Villapiano came on strong towards the end of the season earning a starting spot and scoring eight goals down the stretch. Papaleo played in every game, making 13 starts, and works more on the defensive end of the field.
Sophomore Melynda Zwick (Holland, Pa.) returns after an injury cut her season short last year. A strong player on the attacking end, Zwick made seven starts in 10 games scoring 11 goals and adding six assists. She started the season as the primary draw control specialist for the squad.
Senior Lauren Reid (Portland, Maine) is in her final season with UMass after transferring from Maryland in 2003. Reid has one of the strongest shots on the team and if she can free herself up from within the eight-meter arc, she could have her best season to date.
High School All-Americans Holly Drown (Nashua, N.H.) and Kaytlin McCormick (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) highlight the newcomers in the midfield. Drown, the sister of assistant coach Tracey Drown, earned first-team honors in 2005 and honorable mention honors in 2004. The three-time All-New Hampshire selection should make an immediate impact.
McCormick earned first team honors in 2004 and 2005 and finished her prep career with 202 goals, 65 assists, 144 groundballs, and 89 draw controls. Bolduc compares her to a "Kathleen Typadis-type player" and feels that she has the potential to become "one of the better attackers that UMass has seen."
Freshmen Meghan Reddy (Salem, N.H.) enjoyed a strong prep career as a two-time All-New Hampshire selection and finished her career with 125 goals and 64 assists. She rounds out the midfield with Caitlyn Glowacki (Hillsborough, N.J.) and Julie Pasquantonio (Plainville, Mass.). Two of the tallest players on the team, the duo should help in the transition game and are both strong players at each end of the field.
DEFENDERS
Despite losing Kristin St. Hilaire, the 2004 A-10 Defender of the Year and three-time All-Region selection, and Judy Kestner from the defense, UMass returns several strong players at the position.
Nesbitt highlights the group along with junior Erica Shapiro (Norfolk, Mass.) who started all 17 games last season. She also played internationally over the summer with the Wilderness Club of the STX Women's League in Australia. A well-rounded player, Shapiro works well in space on defense, has excellent footwork, and possesses a strong work ethic.
Papaleo adds to the trio giving the Minutewomen a strong transitional group of defenders. She also adds height and athletic ability to the group.
Sophomore Alana Jakas (Rochester, N.Y.) returns from an injury-shortened freshman season and will add depth. Jakas showed strong potential before suffering the season ending knee injury. Fellow sophomore Whitney Keller (Milton, Mass.) saw improvement over the course of last season and adds a quick defensive presence to the field. She missed the fall season due to an Achilles injury, but will be ready by the start of preseason.
Freshman Jackie Rosenzweig (South Massapequa, N.Y.) is the only true-defender in the freshman class and should see a lot of playing time. As the tallest defender at 5-feet, eight-inches, Rosenzweig is a strong, coachable player who excels at causing turnovers.
GOALKEEPERS
The Minutewomen have three strong goalkeepers on the roster this season and will be aided by the addition of former UMass goalkeeper Jen Nardi who was one of the top cage-minders in the history of the program.
Redshirt junior Lauren McCarthy (Derry, N.H.) is the top returning keeper with a 12.41 goals against average in 25 career games. An active goalkeeper, McCarthy is also adept at scoping up any groundballs that come near the crease as she had 42 last season - at one point ranking as high as 13th in the NCAA.
Sophomore Krissy Anderson (Baldwin, N.Y.) did not see action last season, but has improved dramatically over the offseason.
"Krissy is a natural leader on and off the field. The team responds to her well and the girls trust and believe in her," said Bolduc. Joining the group is freshman Jamie Whiteway (Billerica, Mass.) who was also a High School All-American earning honorable mention honors in 2005. She was also the 2004 Merrimack Valley Player of the Year and a two-time Lower New England selection.
SCHEDULE
Last season's schedule did no favors for UMass and the 2006 schedule is just as tough. A four-game road trip starting March 8 to Dartmouth, Albany, Syracuse, and Hofstra will be an early test for the Minutewomen.
In 2006 UMass will face four teams who finished ranked on the final IWLCA poll: #3 Boston University, #5 Dartmouth, #12 Syracuse, and #14 Hofstra.
The season kicks off on Feb. 25 at Holy Cross and the Minutewomen return home on March 1 to play Boston University.
Following the four-game road trip in March, UMass ends that month and begin April with a critical four-game home stand against New Hampshire (3/25), Vermont (3/29), Boston College (4/1) and its Atlantic 10 opener against St. Bonaventure (4/7).
After three consecutive conference road games, the Minutewomen host Temple (4/23) and Duquesne (4/28) - games that could prove vital to postseason hopes.
A trip to George Washington, host of the Atlantic 10 Championship, on April 30 will end the regular season.
