University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lax Host Yale On Wednesday At McGuirk
March 10, 2010 | Women's Lacrosse
March 10, 2010
UMass Looking To Snap Three Game Losing Skid against Yale on Wed.
• Looking to snap a three-game losing skid, UMass (2-4) will host the Yale Bulldogs (1-2) on Wednesday afternoon at McGuirk Stadium. UMass is coming off a tough 11-8 loss to No. 19 New Hampshire last Wednesday.
• Yale has lost is last two games of the season - falling 14-5 to Fairfield and 10-4 to James Madison. The Bulldogs, however, have won three straight against the Minutewomen.
• This will be the last home game for UMass until April 11 as the Minutewomen will begin a six-game road stand this Saturday at Stony Brook. UMass is 1-3 at home so far this year.
HELPFUL LINKS:
The Series
• Yale leads the all-time series 12-8 over UMass with the Minutewomen last defeating the Bulldogs on March 25, 1998. The series first started in 1979 with UMass winning the first 10 straight meetings. Wednesday's matchup will be the fourth straight meeting since the series renewed in 2007. The Bulldogs won last year's meeting in New Haven 7-4.
Last Time Out: UMass 8, #19 New Hampshire 11
• A five-goal second half run propelled #19 New Hampshire to an 11-8 win over the UMass women's lacrosse team last Wednesday. The Minutewomen led 6-4 at halftime, but the Wildcats used a five goal run to start the second half to rally back for the win.
• Jackie Lyons, Jesse O'Donnell, and Danielle Pelletier each scored two goals for UMass, while Allie Bratton and Shaunna Kaplan tallied three goals each to lead New Hampshire. Kaplan also added an assist for a team-high four assists.
• Katie Florence made nine saves in goal for UMass, while Kate Gunts made four stops in cage for UNH.
• New Hampshire outshot UMass 23-to-20 for the game including a 14-to-6 advantage in the second half. The Wildcats also held an 11-to-10 edge in draw controls and a 12-to-6 advantage in groundballs.
Next Up: Stony Brook
• UMass will travel to Stony Brook on Saturday for a 1 PM opening draw. UMass defeated Stony Brook 14-9 last season in McGuirk Stadium. That was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
• The trip to Stony Brook will kick off a six-game road stand lasting nearly a month for the Minutewomen. Following the Stony Brook game, UMass will close out non-conference play at Albany the following Saturday (3/20) before beginning its A-10 schedule at George Washington (3/36) and Richmond (3/28) the following weekend.
Scouting UMass
• UMass (2-4) is led offensively by Jesse O'Donnell (14g), Jackie Lyons (10g, 3a), and Lauren Terracciano (8g, 4a), through the first six games. O'Donnell and Merritt Cosgrove have each posted a point in every game this season, while Lyons and Terracciano have a point in every game but one.
• Katie Florence has started the season with a 10.68 goals against average while posting a .432 save percentage.
• Through six games, UMass is averaging 10.50 goals per game on 43.4% shooting.
UMass Leading The A-10
• In Monday's statistical report from the Atlantic 10, UMass leads the league in points and goals scored. Nationally, UMass ranks 25th overall in points, while Jesse O'Donnell ranks 22nd nationally in goals.
Trio Earns A-10 Awards
• Following wins against Holy Cross and Connecticut last week, Jesse O'Donnell, Lauren Terracciano and Katie Florence each earned weekly honors from the Atlantic 10 as announced on Monday. O'Donnell was named the Performer of the Week, Terracciano was tabbed the Rookie of the Week, and Florence was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week.
UMass Receives Votes
• After starting the 2010 season with a 2-1 record, UMass is the top team receiving votes in the Feb. 22 IWLCA Top 20 poll. Cornell was ranked just ahead of UMass at No. 20, while New Hampshire was the second team listed as receiving votes.
• Four other teams on UMass' schedule are listed in the current Top 20 Poll: No. 1 Northwestern, No. 2 Maryland, and No. 9 Boston University, and No. 15 New Hampshire.
O'Donnell, terracciano Early Scoring Threats
• Jesse O'Donnell and Lauren Terracciano have become two of UMass' early scoring threats this season to compliment the offense of Jackie Lyons, Merritt Cosgrove and Haley Smith - three of UMass' top returners. O'Donnell posted eight combined goals in the wins over Holy Cross and UConn and has scored in each game of the year.
• Terracciano was just a goal behind scoring two against Holy Cross and five at UConn.
• O'Donnell, Terracciano, and Merritt Cosgrove have each scored in six straight games.
Pelletier Nets 1st Career Hat Trick
• Danielle Pelletier scored her first career hat trick in the 18-8 win at UConn. Pelletier scored a career high four goals and added an assist in the win.
LYONS LEADS UMass
• After a break-out sophomore season, junior Jackie Lyons is one of the top returning players for the Minutewomen. In 2009, she nearly set the school's single-season record for points with 71 on 44 goals and 27 assists. She also had seven game-winning goals.
• For her career, she has played in 42 career games with 97 points (63 goals, 34 assists).
• This past summer, Lyons earned a spot on the U.S. Developmental Team roster and has been training with some of the nation's top lacrosse players through the offseason and preseason schedule.
COSGROVE, WALKER GO INTERNATIONAL
• Senior Merritt Cosgrove and associate head coach Acacia Walker each spent time abroad over the summer in the FIL World Cup held in Prague. Cosgrove played for Team Ireland along with former teammate Jackie Rosenzweig, while Walker played for Gold medalist Team USA. Cosgrove and Rosenzweig helped the Irish to a fifth-place finish in their first FIL World Cup competition.
SMITH ADDS SCORING PUNCH
• One of the big surprises last season was the emergence of Haley Smith on attack. Smith finished the year with 33 goals and 5 assists as the third leading scorer for UMass. As a freshman in 2008, she tallied two goals and four assists in 18 games.
FLORENCE LOOKING TO BECOME A SUPER-SOPH
• As a freshman in 2009, Katie Florence established herself as one of the up-and-coming goalies in the country and one of the best in the Atlantic 10. She finished the year with an 11.43 goals against average and a .462 save percentage along with an 11-8-0 record. She started all 20 games playing nearly 1,200 minutes in cage.
• For her career, Florence is now 13-12 overall with a 11.25 GAA and a .455 save percentage. She has allowed 10-or-fewer goals 12 times in her two years.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
• Although only losing three starters, all seniors, from last season's squad, Alexis Venechanos will need to find some players to fill the voids left by the key trio of Holly Drown, Meghan Reddy and Jackie Rosenzweig.
• Reddy and Drown were the second and fourth leading scorers on the team, respectively. Reddy notched 35 goals and 11 assists to go with a school-record 78 draw controls. Twice she had 12 draw controls in a game which is among the best in NCAA history. Drown had 30 goals and 5 assists along with 44 draw controls and 22 groundballs - second most on the team in both.
• Rosenzweig started every game of her career and was one of the best defensive players ever at UMass. She finished her career with 84 caused turnovers and 100 groundballs and was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2009.
VENECHANOS ERA KEEPS IMPROVING
• Head coach Alexis Venechanos' enters her fourth season at the helm of the UMass lacrosse program. Under her guidance, the Minutewomen have seen improvement each season. The Minutewomen were 8-9 in her inaugural campaign finishing 3-4 in the A-10 (5th Place). In 2008, UMass was 7-11 overall, but earned the fourth-seed into the A-10 Tournament with a 4-3 record reaching the Championship Game. Last year, a team that looked to be rebuilding with a large freshman class and needing to replace the bulk of its offense and defense, Venechanos guided the team through a tough non-conference slate to the A-10 Regular-Season title, the A-10 Tournament title, and the first NCAA Tournament berth in 25 years with an 11-8 overall record.
WHAT A SEASON 2009 WAS
• It was a magical finish to 2009 as the Minutewomen won eight of their final nine games to make the first NCAA Tournament since 1984. UMass tied a school record for wins in A-10 play (6-1) and posted the most overall wins (11) since 2003. With 204 goals scored, UMass set a new single-season team scoring record as well as a new team record for draw controls (258). The 269 points were also the second best mark in school history.
Streaming Video
• Can't make a home game? Have friends and family back home who want to keep up with the Minutewomen? Sign up for the UMass All-Access Package and you can watch every home game live on the Internet. Along with live games, fans can check out interviews with the coaches and players, news highlights, and feature stories on the team.
Order UMass Action Photos
• UMass is pleased to offer fans the chance to purchase action photos from all women's lacrosse photo galleries that are posted on UMassAthletics.com. When viewing the photo gallery, simply click the "Buy Now" tab to order the photo from Replay Photos. You can even choose custom sizes, frames and other options. These make great birthday, holiday or graduation gifts and are perfect for and UMass fan!
Sign Up For The UMass Lacrosse E-mail List
• Want to get all the latest information on the women's lacrosse team delivered straight to your E-Mail Inbox? Sign up for the UMass Women's Lacrosse E-Mail List and you will received game previews, recaps and feature stories delivered straight to you.
• To sign up, send an e-mail with the subject line "Sign Up For Women's Lacrosse E-Mail List" to jsinnett@admin.umass.edu.
