Minutewomen Head South To Play GW Friday, Richmond Sunday

Oct. 2, 2008

With an undefeated 1-0-1 conference record on the line, UMass looks to continue its winning ways when it travel to George Washington on Friday before heading to Richmond on Sunday. Kickoff on Friday is set for 4 p.m. while Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m. In the first weekend of Atlantic 10 play, the Minutewomen topped St. Bonaventure, 2-1, in double overtime before playing to a scoreless tie at Temple. Both games were played in torrential downpours. The Colonials head into the weekend with an 0-2 conference mark (4-6-0 overall) while the Spiders have impressed all year with a 7-2-1 record, 1-1 in the A-10, bringing them in sixth in the NSCAA Middle Atlantic regional rankings and eighth in the SoccerBuzz rankings. Both games will feature Gametracker while Sunday's contest can be viewed through UMass All-Access.

UMass-George Washington Series History
The Minutewomen have dominated the all-time series with a 16-5-3 overall record. They are undefeated (1-0-1) in the last two games vs. GW.
The last meeting came only three league games ago when the teams played to a 2-2 tie in last season's regular season finale. UMass has only played two A-10 games (St. Bonaventure and Temple) since they saw the Colonials last.
The last game at George Washington came in 2005 when the Minutewomen fell, 1-0.

Scouting George Washington
The Colonials own a 4-6 overall mark, 0-2 in A-10 play.
In the league opener, they dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Fordham, 3-2. Up 2-0 in the 73rd minute, the Rams scored at the 73:08 mark and at 85:55 to force OT before netting the game-winner at 101:03.
GW dropped its second A-10 game on Sunday, 2-0 to La Salle.
Its four wins on the season have come over Bryant (3-2), Delaware State (4-0), Howard (4-0), and American (1-0).
The Colonial offense is led by Keara Mehlert with eight points (3g, 2a) followed by Misa Eiritz with seven (3g, 1a), Meg Pyle with six (3g), Erica Wright with five (1g, 3a), and Jillian Morgan with three (1g, 1a). Incredibly, 10 others have recorded at least a point on the season. Only five Colonials have not picked up points.
Lindsey Rowe has started all 10 games in net, posting a 1.58 GAA, .795 save percentage, and two shutouts. Molly Jensen has played nine minutes in net while failing to receive a shot attempt.

UMass-Richmond Series
The Spiders have controlled the all-time series. UMass has only won one of seven contests, with that victory coming last year.
In that game, the Minutewomen used two Britt Canfield goals (one in regulation and one in overtime) to come away with the thrilling victory.
The last game at Richmond came in 2005, a 2-0 defeat in the season finale.
The first-ever meeting came in 2001, a 2-0 loss at Richmond.

Scouting Richmond
The Spiders have used a sensational finish to last season to springboard into a tremendous beginning of 2008.
After falling to UMass in the penultimate regular season game of 2007, it looked like they would fail to earn an A-10 Tournament bid. But the Spiders pulled off the 1-0 win at Rhode Island before topping third-seeded Duquesne, 2-0, in the A-10 quarterfinals. Their season ended with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to eventual-champion Charlotte.
Richmond recorded a 6-1-1 non-conference record with the only loss coming to the College of Charleston. The Spiders played perennial A-10 power Dayton tough in the league-opener, but fell 1-0. The team rebounded on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Xavier.
The Spiders are ranked sixth in the NSCAA Middle Atlantic Regional Rankings and eighth in the SoccerBuzz poll.
Sarah Hilt leads the team with 10 points (3g, 4a). Jessie Wolf has eight (3g, 2a), Kelsey Rdzanek comes in with five (2g, 1a) while Emily Dale (2g) and Nora Mann (2g) have four apiece.
Andrea Young has started nine of 10 games, posting a 0.76 GAA and .816 save percentage with three shutouts. Melissa Pachecho has played in two, starting one while posting a 0.87 GAA, .800 save percentage, and one shutout.

Richmond...Battle of Defense
Sunday is destined to be a low-scoring affair with both UMass and Richmond allowing less than one goal per game.
The Minutewomen have allowed eight in their nine games (.89 average) while the Spiders have also allowed eight, but in 10 contests (.80 average).

I'm Going Home!
Senior Amy Ballew, who is celebrating her birthday on Oct. 9, is looking for two wins in familiar territory.
She resides in Springfield, Va., within minutes of both George Washington (Friday's opponent) and Richmond (Sunday), so two victories would be extra special.
Friday will mark Ballew's first game played in the state of Virginia since high school.
Ballew isn't the only Minutewoman to call Virginia home: Melissa Toulouse, also resides in Arlington, Va.

Friday's Fantastic Feats
Last Friday vs. St. Bonaventure, senior Vanessa Patry tied her career-high of two goals, already accomplished once this season, on Sept. 4 vs. New Hampshire.
Fellow senior defender Melissa Toulouse's assist on the game-winning goal marked her first point since her sophomore season, Oct. 13, 2006 vs. Saint Joseph's.
Sophomore Kelsey Anderson was credited with two assists, good for a new career-high. It also tied a career-high for points and tied her career-high for assists in a season (two set last year as a freshman).
Junior Cristina Adams had an assist as well, marking her first helper of 2008. She finished the '07 campaign with three assists, including on the team's final goal of the year vs. GW.

Minutewomen Continue Dominance Over St. Bonaventure
The win over the Bonnies marked the program's 12th all-time (against only two losses).
St. Bonaventure's goal at the 8:33 mark broke a 197:36 scoreless streak against the Minutewomen.
Now in 14-all time games, UMass has only allowed six goals (in 1,285:26 of game action). That's one goal every 214:15 minutes or every three hours and 34 minutes of game play.

Bad Weather=Tough Field Conditions=Few Shots
Sunday's torrential rain in Philadelphia created tough playing conditions which affected the way both the Owls and Minutewomen could attack the net.
In total, there were only 12 combined shots (7 for Temple and 5 for UMass). Only one of Temple's shots was on goal while two Minutewomen attempts were on target.
The 12 combined shots were the fewest in a game since Oct. 13, 2006 when there were also 12 in UMass' 2-0 win over Saint Joseph's. Much like Sunday, the Minutewomen recorded five while their opponent had seven.
The seven shots allowed marked the fewest since the Minutewomen allowed six to Saint Joe's on Sept. 28, 2007 (a 3-0 UMass victory).
UMass' five shots were the fewest since Sept. 20, 2007 when the Minutewomen also had five in a 1-0 win over Dartmouth. The team's low of last year was three, in a 1-1 tie vs. Providence (Sept. 2).

Some Extra Long History?
The Minutewomen have already gone to overtime six times through nine games (66% of the time), shattering the previous program high of four in a season set last year.
Being exactly halfway through the regular season schedule, UMass is on pace to break the NCAA record of 11 overtime games reached by William & Mary during the 2005 campaign.
UMass has three ties in 2008; the Tribe also hold that single-season record with nine.
When looking at minutes played, the Minutemen have actually played more than one additional game (98:48 of overtime).
Dating back to last year, UMass has reached an extra session in eight of the last 11 games (73%).
The five-consecutive overtime games dating the final two games of 2007 and the first three of 2008 were by far and away the most in school history. There had never been more than two-consecutive overtime games.

Scoreless Tie Tidbits
The 0-0 tie vs. Maine on Aug. 29 was the first scoreless tie in program history since 1995 when the Minutewomen tied No. 10 Hartford on Oct. 11.
With UMass playing to a second scoreless tie on Sunday at Temple, the team is now only one shy of tying the school-record of three scoreless ties in a season back in 1983.
In total, the program has eclipsed 11 scoreless ties all-time: 2008 (2), 1995, 1993 (2), 1989, 1988, 1983 (3), 1980.

Regional Recognition
With only two losses through the first nine games, UMass received votes in the NSCAA Northeast Regional Poll for the first time this year.
The team was as high as eighth last season.
For the complete NSCAA Northeast Regional Poll, please click here.

Among The Nation's Best...
After tremendous starts to the season, junior goalkeeper Lauren Luckey and senior forward Vanessa Patry each stand among the nation's best in significant statistical categories.
Luckey is 66th in country with a .793 GAA and 59th in save percentage (.843).
Patry stands 85th in points/game (1.44) and 93rd in goals/game (.556).
As a team, the Minutewomen find themselves in 64th in GAA (.793), 53rd in save percentage (.843) and 99th in win-loss-tied percentage (.611).

Luckey Isn't Just Lucky...She's Good
Luckey has had a sensational start to the season.
She holds an impressive 0.79 GAA and .843 save percentage through nine games and for her career, now owns a .862 save percentage and 0.98 GAA.
Luckey made one save in the 0-0 draw with Temple on Sunday, good for her third shutout of the season (and her career).
She stopped three of four in the A-10 opener last Friday vs. St. Bonaventure while stopping seven at Providence (Sept. 21).
In Sept. 17th's win over Albany, Luckey went over the 1,000 career minute mark while posting nine saves.
She made four stop on Wednesday, Sept. 10 vs. Bryant for her second-career shutout. It marked the first time she has won when earning a shutout (her first was a 0-0 tie vs. Maine on Aug. 29). She made seven saves vs. the Black Bears.
Her three shutouts already ties Kristin Walker's total from last season. The 2007 Minutewomen finished with five (three by Walker and two by the team).
Luckey appeared in both team shutouts (vs. Hartford in a 4-0 win and vs. Fordham in a 1-0 victory). She saw considerable minutes against the Rams, replacing an injured Walker to close out a 1-0 win while handing Fordham their only conference loss of the season.

Scoring First
Through the first nine games, the Minutewomen have only allowed two opposing teams to score first: Providence on Sept. 21 and St. Bonaventure last Friday.
UMass has scored first five times (Binghamton, New Hampshire, Bryant, Holy Cross, Albany), while there was no scoring in the ties vs. Maine and Temple.
Last season, the Minutewomen scored first in nine of their 17 games (53%) including a streak of five straight to begin the season (and six of the first seven).

Liking The Lead
Last Friday was the first time UMass found itself trailing at home in its fourth game at Rudd Field.
In total, the Minutewomen have only trailed at three points this season, vs. St. Bonaventure, at Providence and at Binghamton when they allowed an overtime goal to fall by a 2-1 final.
They have had the lead (1-0 over Binghamton, 1-0 and 2-1 over New Hampshire, 1-0 and 2-0 over Bryant, 1-0 and 2-1 over Holy Cross, 1-0 and 2-1 over Albany, 2-1 over St. Bonaventure) or been tied (1-1 vs. Binghamton, 0-0 vs. Maine, 1-1 and 2-2 vs. New Hampshire, 1-1 vs. Holy Cross, 1-1 vs. Albany, 1-1 vs. St. Bonaventure, 0-0 at Temple) in every other instance.

Home Warriors
The 2-1 overtime win over St. Bonaventure extended UMass' home unbeaten streak to six games (4-0-2 record).
Dating back to last season, the Minutewomen's last home loss came on Oct. 21, 2007 vs. La Salle.
This season, the Minutewomen have scored 1, 0, 2, 0, and 0 goals away from home (0.60 avg.) while scoring two in each of their four home games (2.0 avg.).

Patry Paves The Way
Senior Captain Vanessa Patry has had a tremendous start to the 2008 campaign, recording 13 points (5g, 3a) through nine games.
She has already broken her career-highs in goals and points. Her previous highs were four goals, four assists, and 12 points (set in 2007).
Her career point totals have increased each year: eight as a freshman, 11 as a sophomore, 12 as a junior, and already 13 as a senior. She is on pace for 26 points (10g, 6a) in 2008.
Patry has had a part in eight of the team's 11 goals (73%) this year.
Friday, Sept. 26 vs. St. Bonaventure marked a nearly identical effort as Sept. 14 vs. Holy Cross. Like the contest vs. the Crusaders, she scored in regulation and in overtime for both UMass goals in a 2-1 overtime win.
She failed to pick up a point on Sept. 21 vs. Providence, snapping a career-high four-game point streak. The streak started with two goals vs. New Hampshire (Sept. 4) followed by an assist vs. Bryant (Sept. 10), a goal and assist vs. Holy Cross (Sept. 14), and an assist at Albany (Sept. 17).
The most-consecutive games she had ever gone with a point previously was two, accomplished on several occasions.
Patry's efforts were rewarded by being named A-10 Co-Player of the Week for her effort vs. New Hampshire and UMass/Dinn Bros. Co-Athlete of the Weekfor the games vs. Bryant and Holy Cross.

Seeing Some Minutes
Rudy has been giving some increased minutes to a number of players.
After not playing in the first three games, Jacquelyn Desjardins, Lindsey DiOrio, Rachel Miranda, and Maura Romano have played often, with each making their season (and for the freshmen, collegiate) debuts on Sept. 10 vs. Bryant.
DiOrio saw considerable time on 9/14 vs. Holy Cross while Miranda saw key second-half minutes on Sept. 21 at Providence and Sept. 26 vs. St. Bonaventure.

You Always Remember Your First
Amy Ballew's goal on Sept. 10 was the first of her career and her first collegiate point.
Freshman Meghan Collins assisted on the second goal which was her first-career assist (and point).

Senior Sensations
The Minutewomen have 11 goals so far this season with the first being by redshirt senior Tina Rodriguez.
For Rodriguez, it marked her first-career goal in her 47th collegiate game. It was also her first game played in almost two full years. She was injured on Oct. 1, 2006 vs. La Salle and has been rehabbing since then with her hard work leading to her first goal.
The feat was similar to a moment from last year when senior defender Kaelyn Caldwell recorded her first-career goal in her 59th career game. She found the back of the net in a 3-1 win at Xavier on Oct. 7.
Lima's goal was her first as a Minutewoman since 2005 when she netted a career-high two goals on Oct. 14 vs. Duquesne.
In total, Patry (13 points) and Lima (3) are first and third on the team in scoring while seniors have accounted for 21 of the 34 credited points.

Young Bunch
The UMass women's soccer program welcomes eight newcomers to this year's squad including seven freshmen.
Freshmen: Amanda Carvalho (Cheshire, Conn.), Meghan Collins (North Wales, Pa.), Lindsey DiOrio (Bridgewater, N.J.), Rachel Miranda (Hopedale, Mass.), Natalie Muka (Cortland, N.Y.), Katie Muller (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and Maura Romano (Wexford, Pa.)
Romano and Muller are familiar with each other as they played club ball together as part of the IFC Blast.
The eighth newcomer has actually seen time with the Minutewomen in 2004 and 2005. Lima played two seasons at UMass before transferring to Salem State and then retransferring back to Amherst.
In total, 12 of the 22 Minutewomen are either freshmen or sophomores, giving Head Coach Jim Rudy one of the youngest groups he has ever coached.

New Roles
With such a young team, Rudy is turning to experienced veterans to lead the way. In total, five of the starters are seniors, two juniors and four sophomores.
Adams, Collins, and Muka have seen the most action off the bench.
After working her way into more and more playing time, senior Amy Ballew was rewarded with her first-career start on Aug. 24 at Binghamton along with starting the Aug. 29 game vs. Maine. She played all 110 minutes in both ties (vs. the Black Bears, and the New Hampshire Wildcats) and played all 90 minutes vs. Bryant while also scoring her first collegiate goal.

Media Guide Now Online
The 2008 Media Guide is now online! Click here for the link to download the guide or to purchase a hard copy!

Learn About Your Favorite Minutewomen!
Women's soccer bios are updated after each and every game, so be sure to stay up to date with your favorite players!
 Click here for the link to the roster page.

Match At Temple Ends In Scoreless Draw For Women's Soccer
AMBLER, Pa. - Amidst a torrential downpour, the UMass women's soccer team played to a scoreless draw at Temple on Sunday, its sixth overtime game of the season and second straight in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutewomen are now 4-2-3 on the year, 1-0-1 in the A-10, while the Owls sit at 2-5-2 (0-0-2 A-10).

"It was a hard-fought, physical, high-pressure game," said UMass Head Coach Jim Rudy. "The weather conditions and amount of substitutions made did not allow for any sort of technical play to happen.

The best chance to score in the match for the Minutewomen came just before halftime when junior Cristina Adams found herself one-on-one with Temple goalkeeper Courtney Douglas, but Douglas managed to make the save. Adams tallied two of UMass' five shots on the day, while freshman Natalie Muka, senior Amy Ballew and sophomore Ashley Hamel logged one apiece.

The majority of the Owls' offensive opportunities came off corner kicks, which Temple led by a 9-1 margin. Only one shot out of seven was placed on frame, however, which junior Lauren Luckey touched over the crossbar for her one save of the match in her third shutout of the season.

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Amy Ballew

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics