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Scouting Harvard
- Prior to Monday's non-conference matchup with Massachusetts, Harvard had won their games against New Hampshire (W, 1-0), and LIU Brooklyn (W, 5-0) and was set to play their first Ivy League game of the season at Penn on Saturday night.
- Heading into the weekend matchup vs. Penn, Harvard boasts a 5-2 record and is led offensively by senior Midfielder Meg Casscells and sophomore forward Midge Purce, who each have two goals and five points on the season.
- In addition, Purce has led the Crimson in shots with 23 and was previously named to the Ivy League Honor Roll for the week ending September 15. As a freshman in 2013, she was named an NSCAA All-American as well as Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year and Ivy League Rookie of the Year for her performance, which included 26 points and 11 goals.
- Defensively, senior captain Marie Margolius anchors a defense that includes six freshman and sophomore players.
- The Crimson look to repeat on last year's performance that saw them win 12 games, the Ivy League Championship, and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in a six year period.
- In 2012, the last year that Harvard played Massachusetts, they won 2-0.
Last Time Out
- Going back to their last game on September 18, the Minutewomen lost another hard fought battle by a score of 2-0, their third straight game without scoring a goal. Danielle Kriscenski played the majority of the game in net for the Minutewomen, making eight saves on the night.
Bruno Collects UMass Athlete of the Week Award
-Women's soccer junior forward and co-captain Jackie Bruno was selected as the UMass Athlete of the Week on Monday, Sept. 8 after factoring in both of UMass' goals in a 2-1 double overtime victory over New Hampshire on Sept. 7. She first drew a foul in the box that resulted in a penalty kick for the Minutewomen, which Megan Burke converted. Then in the second overtime period, she won the match for UMass in the 103rd minute with her second goal of the season on her 10th shot of the contest.
Burke Honored As UMass Athlete of the Week
-Women's soccer sophomore forward Megan Burke was named the UMass Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Burke netted her second goal of the season in the 111th minute at Bryant on Aug. 28, lifting the Minutewomen to a 1-0 victory over the Bulldogs in double overtime, the squad's first win of 2014.
Overtime Overload
- UMass has gone to overtime in six of its eight matches thus far this season, reaching double overtime in five of the six and holding a record of 2-2-2 in those contests. Prior to the loss at Connecticut (9/14), the Minutewomen played in five straight overtime games, which tied a record that was set in 2008 and 2007, when the squad played five-consecutive overtime games, spanning the final two games of 2007 and the first three of 2008
- In 2013, UMass set a program record with nine overtime games, including the postseason. The previous high was six in 2008.
Contributions From The Sophomore Class
- Eleven of the 17 points posted by the Minutewomen through the first eight matches have been provided by members of the sophomore class with goals from Megan Burke and Julia Weithofer first career points for Alyssa Fratarcangeli and Laura Johns who dished assists and another assist by Daniela Alvarez. Burke and Weithofer were both named to the JMU Invitational All-Tournament Team in the squad's opening weekend of action. Weithofer played 192 of a possible 200 minutes over the pair of matches.
- Through six matches, Megan Burke leads the team in scoring with three goals for six points, matching her season total from her freshman campaign.
Career Firsts
- Several Minutewomen had career firsts at the JMU Invitational--First Career Starts: Jenny Scro (8/22 vs. Towson), Daniela Alvarez (8/22 vs. Towson), Jackie Miller (8/22 vs. Towson),Natalie Perussault (8/22 vs. Towson); First Career Points: Alyssa Fratarcangeli (8/22 vs. Towson), Georgia Gibson (8/24 at James Madison).
- At Bryant (8/28), sophmore Laura Johns registered her first career point with an assist on the overtime game winner. She made her first career start vs. Cornell (9/5).
- Cassidy Babin made her collegiate debut, drawing a start against New Hampshire (9/7) and made five saves en route to her first career victory.
Who's Back
- UMass returns 17 members of last year's squad that reached the Atlantic 10 semifinal, including seven starters.
- Three of the seven returning starters drew starts in all 20 matches last season--forward Megan Burke, midfielder/defender Julia Weithofer and goalkeeper Danielle Kriscenski.
- Weithofer was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection last season as a freshman and saw nearly 1,700 minutes of action.
- Burke is UMass' leading returning scorer, pocketing nine points in 2013 on three goals and three assists, including one game winner.
- As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Kriscenski played every minute of all 20 matches and logged five shutouts, 92 saves and a goals-against average of 1.11. Her 92 saves tied her for 10th most for a single season in program history.
New Faces
- UMass has added six newcomers for the 2014 season. The freshman class features four forwards, two midfielders and a goalkeeper and is comprised of three players from Massachusetts and one each from Maryland, Nevada, Virginia.
- Goalkeeper Cassidy Babin was a two-time MACS All-State First Team selection at Archbishop Spalding out of Ellicott City, Md.
"Ice" Earns Preseason Accolade
- Junior co-captain Rebekka Sverrisdóttir ("Ice") was named to the 2014 Preseason All-Atlantic 10 team. The Reykjavik, Iceland, native appeared in 16 games in 2013 and contributed three points on a goal and an assist. A 2013 Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team selection, Sverrisdóttir helped the UMass defense limit opponents to one goal or less in 12 of 16 matches she appeared in last fall, including four shutouts. This past spring, she was named a team co-captain for 2014 alongside classmate Jackie Bruno.
Preseason Predictions
- UMass was picked fifth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. With 130 points, the Minutewomen trailed only preseason-favorite Dayton (189 points, eight first-place votes), La Salle (187, 6), VCU (143) and Saint Louis (138).
The Matz Era At UMass
- UMass is 40-39-69 (.503) over head coach Ed Matz's four-plus seasons, including a record of 18-13-4 (.571) in Atlantic 10 matches, a trip to the A-10 final in 2011, a semifinal appearance in 2013 and four consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship berths.
- Under his direction, UMass players have earned 12 All-Atlantic 10 honors, six all-region accolades and four All-New England selections.
- Matz is 139-130-34 (.515) all-time as a women's head coach, with an overall record (men & women) of 222-204-50 (.571).
Next Up
- The Minutewomen will return home after four consecutive road games to begin Atlantic 10 play. They take on George Mason at Rudd Field on Friday, October 3 with game time set for 3 p.m.
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