University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Picked Second In A-10 Preseason Poll
January 16, 2009 | Women's Lacrosse
Jan. 16, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - The University of Massachusetts women's lacrosse team was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll as released by the league office on Friday. The Minutewomen finished last season on a strong note by making an A-10 Tournament appearance and upsetting No. 1-seed Richmond in the semifinals before falling to Temple in the Championship Game. The is the second consecutive year that UMass has been picked second in the preseason coaches poll.
Richmond was selected to win the 2009 Atlantic 10 Lacrosse Championship. The Spiders captured three consecutive titles from 2005-07 before falling to Massachusetts in the semifinals last year.
Following UMass in the poll is defending champion Temple in third place and Duquesne in fourth. The Owls claimed their fifth title in program annals and first since 2004 a year ago and return midfielder/defender Jennifer Homka, a 2008 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team selection. George Washington has been picked fifth, followed by Saint Joseph's, St. Bonaventure and La Salle.
The four-team 2009 A-10 Championship will be held Apr. 24-26 at Geasey Field on the campus of Temple University.
UMass returns All-Atlantic 10 selection Jackie Rosenzweig on defense. One of the top defenders in program history, she has started every game since 2006. Offensively, UMass features sophomore Jackie Lyons, seniors Holly Drown and Meghan Reddy and junior Stephanie Hopkins. Junior midfielder Merritt Cosgrove, an A-10 Academic All-Conference selection last year, and sophomore midfielder/defender Kelsey Schreiner, also a 2008 A-10 All-Rookie selection, bolster the line-up.
The Minutewomen will open the season on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Holy Cross (3 PM). Five teams from the 2008 NCAA Tournament including four-time defending National Champion Northwestern highlight the 2009 schedule. The Northwestern game will be the first-ever women's lacrosse night game at McGuirk Stadium with a 7 PM opening draw on March 25.
Following the Holy Cross season-opener, UMass will head to 2008 NCAA Quarterfinalists Maryland (Feb. 21) and Boston University (Feb. 25). The Maryland game will be a homecoming for head coach Alexis Venechanos and UMass associate head coach Acacia Walker. Venechanos graduated from Maryland in 2003, while Walker was a 2005 graduate.
A trip to Harvard on Feb. 28 will close out UMass' four-game road stretch to open the season.
The Minutewomen will open the home slate at McGuirk Stadium on March 4 against Dartmouth before heading back on the road to face fellow Ivy Leaguer Yale on March 11.
UMass finished the 2008 season with a 7-11 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the Atlantic 10 which ranked them fourth in the league standings. For the first time since 2003, UMass made the A-10 Championship Game.
2009 Predicted Order Of Finish (2008 A-10/Overall record in parentheses)
1. Richmond (6-1/9-9)
2. Massachusetts (4-3/7-11)
3. Temple (6-1/13-7)
4. Duquesne (5-2/8-9)
5. George Washington (3-4/5-11)
6. Saint Joseph's (2-5/7-9)
7. St. Bonaventure (2-5/4-10)
8. La Salle (0-7/1-15)
