University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Begins 2016 Campaign Friday Versus Holy Cross
February 11, 2016 | Women's Lacrosse
The 2016 season officially gets underway Friday night at 6:30 p.m. as the UMass women's lacrosse team hosts Holy Cross at Garber Field. The Minutewomen, who are receiving votes in both the coaches and media polls, enter the campaign seeking a run to their eighth straight Atlantic 10 Championship title and NCAA berth.
With a win Friday, head coach Angela McMahon would become the all-time winningest coach in program history surpassing Hall of Famer Pam Hixon. The two coaches each have 91 wins during their tenures leading the Minutewomen. Hixon most notably led UMass to a pair of NCAA semifinal finishes and the 1982 National Championship title - one of just two team national titles in UMass history.
The Minutewomen are looking to build upon their 2015 season which saw the program post a 19-2 overall record and reach the NCAA second round before falling to eventual national champion Maryland.
Erika Eipp, the 2015 A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, returns to lead one of the nation's top scoring units over the last four years. Joining Eipp will be 2015 A-10 Midfielder of the Year Hannah Murphy who set the UMass single-season draw control record last year as a sophomore.
The back line of the Minutewomen return three veteran starters who were each All-Atlantic 10 honorees last year. Senior twins Anne and Kate Farnham along with Amber Tobin will anchor what was the Atlantic 10s top defensive unit a year ago.
The venue change for UMass marks the program's first time calling Garber Field home since 2006. The Minutewomen had played the past nine years at McGuirk Stadium before a renovation this past summer replaced the previous astroturf surface with a new field turf surface.
Friday's game will also be a re-union between members of both coaching staffs. Holy Cross head coach Amanda Belichick enters her first year with the Crusaders. She had previously served as an assistant coach with UMass in 2010. Her assistant, Katie Ferris, also makes her return to Amherst. Ferris holds the UMass school records for career points, goals and assists after graduating in 2014. She served as an assistant coach last season at Vermont before her stint with Holy Cross.
