University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Tabbed Fourth In A-10 Preseason Poll
January 11, 2007 | Women's Lacrosse
Jan. 11, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass women's lacrosse team has been picked to finish fourth overall in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll as voted on by league coaches. The Minutewomen are looking to build upon their momentum from a season ago where they won four of their final six regular season games and qualified for the A-10 Conference Tournament.
The Minutewomen return 17 letterwinners for the 2007 campaign including almost 80 percent of its offensive scoring. Junior Kathleen Typadis (Medfield, Mass.) is the top returning scorer after having a banner year in 2006 where she tallied 43 goals - the fifth-best single season effort in school history. For her efforts, she was named to the IWLCA All-Region Team, the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team, and the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team.
Seniors Samantha Sepulveda (Freeport, N.Y.) and Erica Shapiro (Norfolk, Mass.) have been named captains for the season and look to lead UMass' most experienced team in four years back to the A-10 Tournament.
Head coach Alexis Venechanos enters her first season at UMass after helping Northwestern to back-to-back National Championships as an assistant coach. She was also a standout goalie at Maryland where she won two national titles as a player.
Richmond was picked to win the title this season followed by Duquesne and Temple who tied for second. George Washington and St. Bonaventure were picked to finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while La Salle and Saint Joseph's were predicted to finish in a seventh-place tie.
A tough non-conference schedule, four home Atlantic 10 games, and a game against two-time defending National Champion Northwestern highlight the UMass women's lacrosse 2007 schedule. The Minutewomen open the 17-game regular season on Feb. 21 at Holy Cross. The game against Northwestern will take place in Venechanos' hometown of Yorktown, N.Y., and proceeds will benefit the Friends of Jaclyn Murphy Foundation. UMass will get a boost on its preseason training as the Minutewomen, who celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1982 National Championship, take part in the Champions Challenge on the weekend of Jan. 27-28 facing the U.S. Elite and Developmental teams at Disney's Wide World Of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Women's Lacrosse (2006 Overall/A-10 record in parentheses)
1. Richmond* (16-4/6-1)
2. Duquesne (11-5/4-3)
(tie) Temple (10-8/5-2)
4. Massachusetts (7-11/4-3)
5. George Washington (6-11/2-5)
6. St. Bonaventure (14-3/5-2)
7. La Salle (5-12/1-6)
(tie) Saint Joseph's (5-11/1-6)
