University of Massachusets Athletics
Rivalry Renewed As Women's Lax Heads To New Hampshire
February 20, 2015 | Women's Lacrosse
| Massachusetts (2-0) at New Hampshire (1-1) |
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| Date | Saturday, February 21 - 1:00 PM (ET) |
| Location | Cowell Stadium | Durham, N.H. |
| Watch Online | AmericaEast.tv Digital Network |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Twitter Updates | @UMassAthletics |
Classic New England Rivalry Renewed As UMass Heads To New Hampshire On Saturday
• The longest running series in program history is renewed for the 44th time as the UMass women's lacrosse team heads to New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon (1 PM). The series is nearly dead-even with the Wildcats holding a one-game advantage (21-20-2). Adding to the familiarity between the two programs is the relationship between the coaching staffs as UNH head coach Sarah Albrecht and UMass head coach Angela McMahon both served as assistant coaches together at UMass in 2006 and 2007 before coming back to the program from 2011-2012. Additionally, New Hampshire assistant coach Eileen Finn served as an assistant coach for McMahon during the 2011-12 seasons.
• Last year, UMass defeated the Wildcats 12-6 at McGuirk Stadium as Sam Rush tallied five goals and Erika Eipp had a goal and four assists. UMass took a commanding 7-2 lead into halftime.
• UMass' three-game road swing will continue on Wednesday as the Minutewomen head to Boston University for a 3 PM start at Nickerson Field.
2014 Rewind
• UMass reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year in 2014 after posting an 18-1 overall record before falling to Loyola in the first round. UMass won nine consecutive games to start the season before falling to Northwestern in March. The Minutewomen then ripped off another nine-game win streak entering the NCAA Tournament and capturing its sixth-straight Atlantic 10 crown.
• The year marked the conclusion of the most successful senior class in program history. The group was paced offensively by Katie Ferris and Sam Rush who left UMass as the No. 1 (211 goals) and No. 2 (176 goals) career goal scorers in program history. A three-time All-American, Ferris also left the program as the career leader in points (330) and assists (119), while Rush holds the No. 1 (67) and No. 2 (65) single-season goal scoring records in program history.
• Along with Ferris and Rush, the 2014 senior class was one of the most cohesive groups over a four-year period with starters Tanner Guarino, Kelsey McGovern, Kesley Sheridan, Melissa Carelli and Courtney McGrath all playing key roles on the team during their careers.
UMass Among The 2014 NCAA Stat Leaders
• For the 2014 campaign, UMass ranked among the NCAA leaders in several categories. UMass was the No. 1 team in scoring margin thanks to a defense that was ranked 2nd nationally allowing just 6.30 goals per game. Offensively, UMass was the No. 8 scoring team averaging 14.10 goals per game. UMass ranked 4th overall in total points last year (422), while also ranking in the top-15 for caused turnovers (5th, 10.65/game) and groundballs (12th, 18.65/game).
• Individually, Katie Ferris ranked 10th in assists (41) and 10th in points (85). Sam Rush ranked 5th in goals (67) and 22nd in points (76).Rachel Vallarelli ranked 2nd in goals-against-average (6.26) and 35th in save percentage (.444).
UMass One Of The Top NCAA Teams Over Last Five Years
• With a record of 74-10, four Atlantic 10 Championships and four trips to the NCAA Tournament, UMass has been one of the top teams nationally over the last five years.
• The 74 wins are the second most for any team in the four year time span (including 2014). Maryland leads the nation in wins with a 83-7 record over that time span followed by Northwestern (73-14). UMass is ahead of Florida (70-14), Navy (66-14), North Carolina (64-17), and Syracuse (67-18).
• Statistically, UMass has ranked among the nation's elite in points, scoring offense and scoring defense. In 2013, UMass was 3rd in points (467), 5th in scoring offense (14.76) and 9th in scoring defense (8.24). UMass led the nation in points in 2012 (491), was 2nd in offense (15.81) and ranked 11th in scoring defense (9.0). The 2011 campaign ended with UMass ranked 7th nationally in points (388), 5th in scoring offense (14.65) and 10th in scoring defense (8.70). Last season, UMass ranked 4th in points (422), 8th in scoring offense (14.10), and 2nd in scoring defense (6.30).
Top 15 RPI For UMass Over The Last Three Years
• Over the last three seasons, UMass has ranked among the top 15 programs in NCAA RPI at the conclusion of each year: 10th (2014), 11th (2013), 6th (2012).
• This marks the first time in program history that UMass has posted consecutive years with a top-15 RPI.
46 consecutive weeks ranked in top 20 Ends
• Since the 2011 season, UMass had been ranked among the nation's top 20 in both the IWLCA Coaches Poll and the Brine Media Poll for 46 straight weeks. That was the longest span in program history to hold a ranking.
• While UMass was not ranked to start the 2015 campaign, the Minutewomen were listed among Team's Receiving Votes in the IWLCA Coaches Preseason Poll.
• The highest rank during that span was when the Minutewomen reached No. 8 in the Brine Media Poll entering the 2013 NCAA Tournament and in the March 10, 2014 poll. UMass finished the 2012 regular-season at No. 9 in the deBeer Media Poll.
Vallarelli Steady In Goal
• Rachel Vallarelli has quietly been one of the top performers on the defensive side of the ball over the last four years. The goalie from Hartsdale, N.Y., is coming off her best career year in cage with a 6.26 goals-against-average and her second best year so far with a .444 save percentage. For her career, she has played in 51 games posting a 31-4 overall record. She has a career 7.17 goals-against-average and a .433 save percentage in nearly 2,300 minutes played. She ranks 2nd all-time at UMass in terms of wins and is 2nd in goals-against-average.
Walker A Defensive Mainstay
• Senior Morgan Walker has been a mainstay on the defense over the past three years. The third-year starter has 30 career caused turnovers and 42 career groundballs in 52 games played.
Eipp Returning Offensive Threat
• Erika Eipp's first year in the Maroon & White proved a benefit for the UMass offense during the 2014 season. The Louisville transfer ranked as the third leading scorer with 57 overall points on 28 goals and 29 assists.
• In the season-opener against UMass Lowell, the junior had a team-high four points with two goals and two assists along with two groundballs and a caused turnover.
Double Trouble On Defense
• Fans may think they are seeing double when they look at the UMass defense in 2015. Twin sisters Kate and Anne Farnham return and will be starting on the Minutewomen's back four. Kate started 19 games last year, while Anne played in 19 with two starts. The twins were recently featured on the UMass Sports Insider and shared the special bond they share.
• Kate had a career day in the season-opener against UMass Lowell with five caused turnovers, five draw controls, four groundballs and her first career goal. Farnham's effort earned her the A-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Week honor for the season's opening week.
Murphy Takes Over On The Draw
• Sophomore Hannah Murphy made an immediate impact on the team in 2014 as a freshman and is expected to have a greater role in 2015. The midfielder ranked second on the team in draw controls (45) behind UMass' all-time leader Kelsey McGovern. The A-10 All-Rookie selection played in all 20 games last year and ranked among the team's leaders in groundballs (21 and caused turnovers (13) as well.
• She showed offensively she will be a threat this year for opposing defenses as she scored three goals in the season-opener against UMass Lowell.
• Murphy added another three goals and four draw controls in the win over UConn.
Turner Makes Presence Felt In UConn Win
• After going to overtime against UConn, neither team was able to score in the first six-minute OT stanza. Just 56 seconds into the sudden-death overtime period, freshman Holly Turner was fouled to earn a free position attempt. Despite not having a goal on the day, Turner toed the line and fired home the game-winning goal to help the Minutewomen take a 7-6 win.
Tobin Impressing In First Year As Starting Defender
• With so many veteran starters gone from the 2014 program, several players are taking on more prominent roles for the Minutewomen. Junior Amber Tobin has taken over one of the starting spots on defense and has certainly impressed in the opening two games. She has 10 groundballs and seven caused turnovers as one of the team leaders in both categories. In the win over UConn, Tobin had a career day with 5 caused turnovers and 8 groundballs. Tobin's eight groundballs in a game were the most since Ali Houlis had 9 against New Hampshire in 2012.
Balanced Scoring For Offense
• A total of 11 different players have scored a goal this season with seven having multiple goals. Hannah Murphy leads the way with six goals, while Erika Eipp has four.
McMahon An Up-And-Coming Coach
• In just her fifth year as the head coach at UMass, Angela McMahon is already the second-winningest coach in program history in terms of wins (74) and is No. 1 in win percentage (.884). With a 54-7 record entering the 2014 season, she had the best overall record of any women's lacrosse coach in NCAA history in the first three years at a school - She ranked 2nd in terms of win percentage behind Maryland's Cindy Timchal who was 40-5 (.889) in her first 3 seasons with the Terps. McMahon's 74 career wins at UMass is second to just Hall of Famer Pam Hixon's 91 from 1979-87 which included 3 NCAA Tournament appearances and the 1982 NCAA National Championship.
• If UMass were to maintain it's average number of wins per year under McMahon, she would stand to pass Hixon either with a 2015 postseason run or at the beginning of the 2016 season as the winningest coach in program history.
McGuirk Magic
• UMass is in its ninth year playing at McGuirk Alumni Stadium and is 51-17 all-time at the facility. Over the last five seasons, UMass is 37-3 at home including 11-0 in 2012, 10-0 in 2013, and 9-1 in 2014.
• UMass had won 31 consecutive games at McGuirk before falling to Northwestern on March 25, 2014 (10-6). That ranked 3rd all-time in NCAA history for most consecutive home wins. The last time UMass lost at McGuirk Stadium was on March 26, 2011 - also against No. 2 Northwestern (17-7).
• UMass is not scheduled to play any games this spring at Garber Field which is the home of the men's lacrosse team and the field hockey team. The women's lacrosse team previously played there until 2007.
• Fans can now see one of the most dramatic upgrades to the stadium facility with the construction now finished on the new Martin & Richard Jacobson Press And Skybox Complex.
UMass Is A-10 Title Town
• UMass is 45-6 in the Atlantic 10 over the last seven seasons which includes six A-10 Tournament Titles (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), five regular-season title (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and one tournament runner-up finish (2008).
• Since the loss against La Salle to end the 2010 regular season, UMass has won 40 consecutive games against A-10 teams (including A-10 tournament games) breaking the record of 25 set by Temple in 2001-03.
• UMass' 28 consecutive regular-season conference wins (2011-2013) is the fourth longest such streak in NCAA history.
• In addition to the past six straight A-10 Titles, UMass also won the A-10 title in 2000.
• All-time, UMass is 78-29 (.710) in the Atlantic 10 and 16-7 (.533) in the A-10 Tournament. UMass also holds the league record for most regular-season wins (78) after passing former member Temple (74) last season.
• UMass' six consecutive conference championship titles is the longest consecutive run in Atlantic 10 history. UMass' seven overall Atlantic 10 Championships is also a league record.
2014 A-10 Postseason Honors
• After a 16-1 regular season and an undefeated run through conference play in 2014, a total of nine UMass women's lacrosse student-athletes earned Atlantic 10 Lacrosse postseason honors as announced by the league on Thursday. The group was headlined by senior Kate Ferris earning her third career A-10 Player of the Year award, while a program record five players earned first team recognition.
• UMass, ranked No. 13 nationally, also had a program-high four players named to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
• Joining Ferris on the Atlantic 10 First Team was attack Sam Rush, midfielder Tanner Guarino, defender Kelsey Sheridan, and defender Kelsey McGovern. Earning second team honors were midfielder Melissa Carelli and goalieRachel Vallarelli. Freshman midfielder Hannah Murphy was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• On the Academic All-Conference Team were Ellie Bullitt, Carelli, McGovern, and Sheridan.
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