University of Massachusets Athletics
Key A-10 Weekend For Women's Lacrosse
April 08, 2010 | Women's Lacrosse
April 8, 2010
Key Atlantic 10 Weekend On Tap For Women's Lacrosse
• The UMass women's lacrosse team will play two critical Atlantic 10 matches beginning Friday afternoon at Duquesne before returning home to face St. Bonaventure at 1PM. The Minutewomen are tied for first in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 3-0 start to conference play. Duquesne is 6-7 on the year, ranking fifth in the A-10 standing while St. Bonaventure is 7-5, ranking fourth in A-10 standings.
HELPFUL LINKS:
- Friday: GameTracker | Watch Live | Season Stats | Career Stats
- Sunday: GameTracker | Watch Live
Friends Of Jaclyn Week
• This weekend is the 2010 Friends of Jaclyn Week across the country. Teams across the nation, including UMass, are participating to spread pediatric brain tumor awareness and to raise funds to support the growth of FOJ.
• The Minutewomen adopted Lexie Williams who has been a tremendous fan and little sister of the team three years ago.
• For more information on the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, go to http://www.friendsofjaclyn.org/
The Series
• The series between the Minutewomen and Dukes is tied at 6-6. Last year UMass suffered a tough loss after two overtimes against Duquesne.
• UMass has a 7-3 all-time record against St. Bonaventure since their first meeting in 2000. Last year the Minutewomen came away with a win against the Bonnies in a close 14-13 game.
Last Time Out: UMass Defeats Temple 16-7
• The Minutewomen picked up their third straight Atlantic 10 win on Saturday at Temple, bringing their A-10 record to 3-0.
• Jackie Lyons and Jesse O'Donnell lead the offensive charge. Lyons found the back of the net and tallied five goals while O'Donnell recorded three goals and three assists.
• Merritt Cosgrove and Danielle Pelletier each added two goals, while Jordan Renna, Nina Sarcona, Riley Perry, and Stephanie Hopkins each added a tally. Sarcona also finished with a career-high three assists.
• In goal Katie Florence had 10 saves for the UMass win.
•The Minutewomen have now won nine of their last 10 regular-season Atlantic 10 games and are 5-0 this season when scoring 10-or-more goals in a game.
Next Up: Saint Joseph's and La Salle
• UMass will take on Saint Joseph's Friday, April 16 (5PM) at McGuirk Stadium.
• The Minutewomen dominate the series over Saint Joseph's 15-2. Last year the two teams met during regular season play, UMass came away with a 10-8 win.
• In postseason play UMass defeated Saint Joseph's after two overtimes to earn their place in the NCAA Tournament.
• Saint Joseph's are 0-3 in the A-10, and 2-10 overall on the year.
• The Minutewomen will take on La Salle Sunday, April 18 (1PM) at McGuirk Stadium, which will be Senior Day.
• UMass is undefeated against La Salle in the all-time series with a 11-0 record. Last year the Minutewomen defeated the Explorers 17-2.
• La Salle stands 3-0 in the A-10 and 7-3 on the year.
Scouting UMass
• UMass (6-6) is led offensively by Jesse O'Donnell (28g, 4a), Jackie Lyons (23g, 9a), and Merritt Cosgrove (15g, 3a), through the first 12 games. O'Donnell has posted a point in every game this season, while Lyons and Cosgrove have a point in every game but one.
• Katie Florence stands strong in net for the Minutewomen with 84 saves and a .422 save percentage.
• After 12 games UMass averages 10.5 goals a game and has a 43.9 shooting percentage.
Road, Sweet Road
• The Minutewomen have a 4-2 record on the road, winning their first three Atlantic 10 games on the road.
• The road stand is for six consecutive games, lasting 28 days.
• The Minutewomen finally return home against St. Bonaventure for their first game at McGuirk Stadium in 31 days.
In The A-10
• UMass is ranked first for goals per game with a total of 41 goals, averaging 13.67 per game.
• The Minutewomen are tied in second with St. Bonaventure for assists, both teams recording 17 and averaging 5.67 a game.
• UMass is tied in first place with Richmond for points per game with a total of 58 points averaging 19.33 a game.
• The Minutewomen also lead the A-10 in draw controls, averaging 14.67 a game with a total of 44 controls.
• Katie Florence has lead UMass to be ranked third in saves per game, with 28 total.
• Nina Sarcona Leads the Atlantic 10 with assists per game. Sarcona has five total, averaging 1. 67 a game.
• Jackie Lyons is in a third place tie for points per game (13) and ranked first in the A-10 for game winning goals with two.
• Merritt Cosgrove leads the A-10 with draw controls, having eleven controls.
• Katie Florence is ranked first in the Atlantic 10 for save percentage (28) and ranked second for saves per game (9.33).
Florence Earns Second Straight A-10 Honor
• Sophomore goalie Katie Florence is named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. This is the third time Florence has received this honor during the 2010 season.
• Florence led UMass to its third straight win last Saturday, 16-7, at Temple to remain perfect in league play.
• Against the Owls Florence allowed only seven goals while making 10 saves, picking up three groundballs and causing one turnover.
• This was the third straight game where Florence allowed fewer than 10 goals in a game and the eighth time this season.
• Florence helped lead UMass to wins over Richmond and George Washington the previous weekend, combined only allowing 15 goals while making 17saves.
• For her career, Florence is now 17-13 overall with an 9.76 goals against average and a .422 save percentage. She has allowed 10-or-fewer goals 16 times in her two years.
• 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.
Venechanos' Atlantic 10 Success
• Since starting at UMass in 2007 head coach Alexis Venechanos has continually improved the team's Atlantic 10 record. In her first season the Minutewomen went 3-4 in A-10 (5th Place) and were unable to make the tournament. In 2008 Venechanos rallied her team to a 4-3 record in A-10 season play and guided her team to the Championship Game (1-1). 2009 proved to be the Minutewomen's best season with Venechanos winning the Atlantic 10 Regular Season title (6-1), and the A-10 Tournament title (2-0). The Minutewomen went on to face Northwestern in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to the defending National Champions. This was UMass' first NCAA berth in 25 years.
• Since joining the UMass women's lacrosse team Venechanos has an overall record of 32-34, Atlantic 10 regular season record of 16-8, and an A-10 Tournament record of 3-1.
Pelletier, Sarcona Net 1st Career Hat Tricks
• 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.
• Nina Sarcona posted her first career hat trick on March 10 in the 9-5 win over Yale doing so on just three shots.
• Sarcona earned her second career hat trick on March 28 in a 12-8 win over Richmond. Both of Sarcona's hat tricks have been off three shots, finding the back of the net every time.
Lucky Goal Eleven
• The UMass women's lacrosse team has won every game when they have scored more than 10 goals. Once the Minutewomen reach goal number 10 they must be reminded of the two games they lost 8-10 and gain extra motivation to keep pushing and rallying.
Lyons Closing In On Top-10 Program Marks
• Jackie Lyons has added her name to the UMass top-10 career assists lists. Lyons reached this mark after recording a total of three assists against George Washington and Richmond. Lyons is closing in on reaching the UMass top-10 in career points and goals. She needs just 6 points, and 20 goals to reach 10th in each category. 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 46 career games with 103 points (67 goals, 36 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.
Houlis Gets Third Career Multi-Goal Game
• In the loss at Stony Brook, defender Ali Houlis netted her second career multi-goal game scoring two of UMass six goals. Houlis had a pair of goals in 2009 in the 17-2 win at La Salle as a freshman.
• In UMass' win over George Washington Houlis recorded two goals.
Trio Earns A-10 Awards
• Following the wins against Holy Cross and Connecticut, Jesse O'Donnell, Lauren Terracciano and Katie Florence each earned weekly honors from the Atlantic 10. 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.
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.
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.
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
