University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hosts Fordham, La Salle In Crucial Weekend
October 17, 2007 | Women's Soccer
After dropping a heartbreaker to Rhode Island on Oct. 11, the University of Massachusetts women's soccer team continues their three-game homestand against Fordham on Friday and La Salle on Sunday. Friday's kickoff is at 3 p.m. while Sunday's kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Heading into the weekend, the Minutewomen (7-3-1, 2-3 Atlantic 10) are five points behind Fordham and tied with La Salle in the A-10 standings. Live streaming video through UMass All-Access will be available on both days, or fans can follow the action with Gametracker. Streaming video for Friday's game will be unavailable due to rain in the Amherst area.
Follow The Action Live
*Fans can watch live both days through UMass All-Access or follow the action with Gametracker. Video is set to begin at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Friday and 12:50 on Sunday.
Scouting The Rams
*Fordham, currently ranked 13th in the Soccer Buzz Northeast Regional Rankings, is one of only three Atlantic 10 teams with an undefeated league record (3-0-2), while their overall record stands at 6-3-2. The Rams have defeated Saint Joseph's, Temple, and La Salle, while tying Charlotte and Richmond.
*The Fordham offense is led by Katie Sanchez, who has 11 points (4g, 3a). Kim Boulous leads the team with five goals, while Erica Frizzell has five points (2g, 1a). A pair of goalkeepers, Jen Byer and Elisabeth Roald, have split time in net. Byer has played in 11 (starting 10) while putting up a 0.66 goals against average and .774 save percentage. Roald has a 1.35 GAA and .842 save percentage in three games (two starts).
Scouting The Explorers
*Heading into the weekend, La Salle owns an identical 2-3 league record as UMass, while they are 8-6-0 overall. Both wins were last weekend, defeating Saint Joseph's, 5-2, and Temple, 3-0.
*The La Salle offense is led by Kristin Hextall who has 22 points (9g, 4a), Traci Depasquale has 20 (8g, 4a), while Dana Giordano has 11 (4g, 3a). A trio of goalkeepers have seen time: Melissa Sanger has started five games, Amy Grant has started three, and Lauren Malizia has started six. Sanger leads the team with a 1.09 GAA and .786 save percentage.
Last Time Out: An Overtime Heartbreaker
*On Oct. 11, the Minutewomen dropped their first overtime game since Sept. 22, 2006. Falling behind Rhode Island, 1-0, the Minutewomen answered with a pair of goals in the final two minutes of the first half. The Rams tied the score at the 71:23 mark, before winning the game 2:14 into overtime. The only other overtime game for the Minutewomen this season was against another team from the Ocean State, tying Providence, 1-1, on Sept. 2.
A Season To Remember?
*Starting the season 6-0-1, UMass got off to its best start since 1997. The Minutewomen won the A-10 that season before bowing to Harvard in the NCAA Tournament.
A First Time For Everything
*Defenders normally don't get many offensive opportunities. On Oct. 7, senior Kaelyn Caldwell converted on one, firing home the game-tying goal against Xavier. She shot the ball from 35-yards out, beating the goalkeeper for her first-career goal. For good measure, Caldwell added an assist on a beautiful centering pass last time out vs. Rhode Island (10/11)
National Recognition
*UMass has received recognition in regional polls. The Minutewomen are sixth in the Soccer Buzz Northeast Ranking. For a complete list, please click below.
Near The Top In The Nation
*After picking up three assists all of last year, Britt Canfield has propelled all the way to fifth in the nation in assists per game this season. Her eight assists through 11 games (0.73 avg.) puts her behind the national leader Kelly Isleib (Utah), who averages 0.92 per contest.
Statistics Don't Lie
*With the 7-3-1 start to the season, UMass finds themselves near the top in many national statistical categories. The Minutewomen are 52nd in the nation in scoring offense, averaging two goals/game., while the team's 0.682 win percentage is 63rd best, and the team save percentage (0.86) is 29th.
*On an individual basis, Canfield is 20th in the country averaging 1.82 points per game, 79th in goals (0.545), and fifth in assists (0.73). Stoll is 77th in points per game (1.36) and 79th in goals (0.545). Jenny Roehrig is 59th in assists with 0.45 per game. Kristin Walker has been sensational in net; her save percentage (.861) is 27th best, while saves per game (6.18) is 39th.
A Career For The Record Books?
*Redshirt senior goalkeeper Walker is now only 20 saves shy of tying Danielle Dion's all-time school record (384) for saves in a career.
Phenomenal Freshmen
*The 2007 freshman class has contributed to the Minutewomen right away. Ashley Hamel recorded an assist vs. Providence (9/2) while Kelsey Anderson and Therese Smith scored goals vs. Iona (9/7). Anderson also added an assist against Hartford (9/16) and a goal against Vermont (9/23). Anderson is tied for fifth on the team in scoring while Smith is tied for seventh. Not to be forgotten, Alyssa Visconti has been superb at defense, starting every game thus far.
Defense Wins
*Led by Anderson, Visconti, Melissa Toulouse, and Caldwell on defense, the Minutewomen have only given up 12 goals in 11 games, recording four shutouts in the process.
A Team Effort
*The Minutewomen are receiving contributions from numerous sources this season.
*With Caldwell's goal vs. Xavier (and subsequent assist vs. Rhode Island), 12 members of the team have picked up a point, eight have at least one goal, and 11 have at least one assist.
*On Oct. 7 vs. Xavier, Head Coach Jim Rudy used numerous subs due to the oppressive heat. Cristina Adams, Amy Ballew, Jacquelyn Desjardins, Smith, and Hamel each saw action off the bench.
*Ballew and Desjardins have already set their career highs in games played in a single season. Ballew has played in six games while Desjardins has seen action in five.
*After not seeing action as a freshman, Lauren Luckey has gotten into three games in her sophomore campaign, including a win over Iona (9/7).
UMass Predicted To Finish Fifth In Atlantic 10
*After narrowly missing the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2006, the Minutewomen were predicted fifth in the preseason coaches poll.
(2006 A-10/Overall Record In Parentheses)
1. Saint Louis (7-2-0/15-4-2)
2. Charlotte (8-1-0/13-5-2)
3. Dayton (6-3-0/8-7-3)
4. Rhode Island (7-2-0/12-10-0)
5. Massachusetts (5-4-0/11-6-0)
6. Fordham (6-3-0/14-7-0)
7. La Salle (6-2-1/9-10-1)
8. Xavier (2-5-2/7-10-2)
9. Richmond (3-6-0/3-13-2)
10. George Washington (2-7-0/9-10-0)
11. Saint Joseph's (4-5-0/7-11-0)
12. Duquesne (3-5-1/5-9-2)
13. Temple (1-8-0/4-14-0)
14. St. Bonaventure (1-8-0/2-15-1)
Get To Know The Minutewomen
*For every home game this season, UMassathletics.com will sit down with different members of the team to find out a little bit about them. Q&A's and feature stories will appear in the gameday program, then shortly after on UMassathletics.com. Please see the archived Q&A's so far.
9/7 vs. Iona- Q&A With Melissa Toulouse
9/16 vs. Hartford - Q&A With Kelsey Anderson,
Q&A With Jenny Roehrig
9/23 vs. Vermont- Q&A With Sydney Stoll
9/30 vs. Duquesne - Q&A With Meghan Gould
10/11 vs. Rhode Island - Q&A With Therese Smith
