University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lax Places Four On IWLCA All-Region Teams
May 27, 2011 | Women's Lacrosse
May 27, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - Following one of its most successful seasons in program history, the UMass women's lacrosse team placed four players on the IWLCA All-Northeast Region First and Second Teams as announced by the organization on Wednesday night.
Senior attack Jackie Lyons and junior defender Ali Houlis were both named to the first team and are now eligible to be named to the IWLCA All-American Teams which will be announced Monday, May 30.
Freshman attack Katie Ferris and junior goalie Katie Florence were both named to the all-region second team.
For Lyons, this was her second time honored on the all-region first team. n 2011, she led UMass with 41 goals and 32 assists earning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. Her 73 points this season were just one shy of the single-season school record, while her 226 career points is a new program record.
Houlis had a breakout season helping anchor a UMass defense that ranked as No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 for a third straight season. She started all 20 games scoring nine goals and adding four assists, while leading the team in groundballs (41) and caused turnovers (25). She was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and the A-10 All-Tournament Team in 2011.
Ferris is the heir-apparent to the records Lyons set this season. The freshman from Carthage, N.Y., was second on the team in scoring just a point behind Lyons with 72 for the year. She led the team in goals with 56, a new UMass single-season record, while ranking second in assists (16). She was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, earned A-10 All-Conference First Team and All-Rookie Team honors and was named to the All-Tournament Team as well.
The Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, Florence had a career year posting her best goals-against-average by nearly two goals. Starting all 20 games, Florence recorded a 17-3 overall record while allowing 8.80 goals per game which led the Atlantic 10 and ranked among the nation's best. Her .460 was the second-best mark of her career.
UMass finished the season 17-3 overall winning its third-straight Atlantic 10 Tournament Title. Under first year head coach Angela McMahon, the Minutewomen made their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history - the second trip in the last three years. The 17 wins were second all-time in program history, while the team also set new school marks for goals and points scored in a season. For the first time in school history, UMass went a perfect 7-0 in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutewomen were also ranked nationally for 11-consecutive weeks.
Lyons, Haley Smith and Nazy Kerr will be the key losses heading into next season as each played critical roles on each end of the field. Lyons and Smith represent 110 of UMass 388 points from the season including 77 of the Minutewomen's 293 goals. Kerr was a three-year starter on defense who ranked second in caused turnovers (24).
The Minutewomen will return Florence in goal for the fourth-straight season and 10 of its top 12 scorers from the past season. Kerr will be the only loss on the defensive end as Houlis and Riley Perry return for their fourth years as starters.