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It was a thrilling finish on Thursday afternoon at Rudd Field as Julia Weithofer's Golden Goal with 46 seconds left in the second overtime won the UMass women's soccer team its fourth straight match and its Atlantic 10 opener against La Salle. Along with Weithofer's goal, the game was highlighted by a fourth straight clean sheet for Cassidy Babin and the defense. Senior forward Jackie Bruno also made an unexpected return to the pitch after being cleared following a lengthy battle with Lyme disease that was originally thought to be season ending for the forward.
Tom Mulherin of the Daily Collegian has a feature looking at the play of the UMass women's soccer team defensively - a category in which the Minutewomen lead the Atlantic 10 and are one of the best in the nation. Head coach Ed Matz says that veteran leadership and improved defensive play at all positions has been a key:
"You have to look at the fact that at times, we have three seniors back there," Matz said. "I think all of them are experienced defenders and are all doing very well. Early on we had to move Georgia to center-back, which isn't her natural position, and she's getting more comfortable playing next to Rebekka."
"I think that they are all very focused," he added. "They are all tremendous leaders, they are probably our three best kids and probably three of our hardest working kids. They're seniors, they want to make this the best year possible."
Adam Aucoin of the Daily Collegian has a preview of Thursday afternoon's Atlantic 10 opener for the UMass women's soccer team as La Salle visits Rudd Field. La Salle has had the upper hand in the series over the last several years which head coach Ed Matz says is motivation for his program.
Sam Pollack of the Daily Collegian has a feature on women's soccer senior Madison Smith whose transition from defender to forward is paying dividends for the Minutewomen's offensive attack.
Adam Aucoin of the Daily Collegian has a recap of Sunday's 2-0 win over Harvard for the UMass women's soccer team. The win was the Minutewomen's third straight and marked the squad's fourth shutout of the season.
Adam Aucoin of the Daily Collegian has a feature on the women's soccer team focusing on the strong play of the team defensively over the last five games.
Head coach Ed Matz says veteran leadership on the back line is key to the program's succes.
"It's always great to have two or three seniors on your backline at all times," he said. "They know the system better than anyone on this team and they can help guide our younger defenders to get better."
In today's Daily Collegian, Tom Mulherin has a women's soccer preview in advance of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutewomen will open tournament action on Thursday morning, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. in Dayton, Ohio.
Read: UMass women's soccer opens A-10 tournament against top-seeded La Salle
Arthur Hayden has a piece in today's Daily Collegian on how UMass women's soccer still controls its own destiny for a berth into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutewomen have two weeks and four matches left in the regular season.
Read: UMass women's soccer controls its own destiny as conference tournament approaches
Arthur Hayden has a piece in today's Daily Collegian on how UMass women's soccer still controls its own destiny for a berth into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutewomen have two weeks and four matches left in the regular season.
Read: UMass women's soccer controls its own destiny as conference tournament approaches
Arthur Hayden of the Daily Collegian has a preview of the Atlantic 10 opener against George Mason for the UMass women's soccer team on Friday afternoon at Rudd Field. Hayden predicts the game will be a defensive battle based on how each team has played so far this season.
Tom Mulherin of the Daily Collegian has a preview of the UMass women's soccer team's opening weekend of Atlantic 10 play and what the team will need to do to be successful. The Minutewomen will host George Mason at Rudd Field on Friday afternoon before facing Saint Joseph's on Sunday.
"The Massachusetts women's soccer team reached the midway point of its season and received a lengthy reprieve from its schedule," writes Arthur Hayden of the Daily Collegian, who spoke with redshirt freshman Jenny Scro and head coach Ed Matz for his piece in today's paper.
Read: UMass women's soccer recuperating at midway point of season
With a little help from his team, UMass women's soccer head coach Ed Matz took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge today. The Minutewomen took part in it too, while also making a donation to fight ALS, and nominated the the UMass hockey team. Check out the video:
We hope you enjoyed our coaches sharing some of their favorite motivational quotes this week as part of #UMassCoachQuotes. We'll have another round of those coming next week as well. For now, let's look back at what our coaches submitted this past week.
Team: Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. MLAX Greg Cannella #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 4, 2014
I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying. (M. Jordan) WSOC Ed Matz (@CoachMatz) #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 5, 2014
In the end it's the "teamness" that makes the difference. WTEN Judy Dixon (@Jbddix) #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 6, 2014
if you do the work, you can own the dream. Rowing Jim Dietz #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 7, 2014
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. WLAX Angela McMahon (@umasswlax) #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 8, 2014
The best team is the team that takes care of itself. (Elaine Sortino) SB Kristi Stefanoni (@UMCoachKristi) #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 9, 2014
The Price of Success is always Paid in Advance. MTrack/XC Ken O'Brien #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 10, 2014
Consistency in effort will determine success. MLAX Greg Cannella #UMassCoachQuotes
-- UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 11, 2014
Joey Saade of the Daily Collegian has a feature story on UMass women's soccer goalie Danielle Kriscenski who says she has always been a goalie since she was 10 months old.
Tom Mulherin of the Daily Collegian has a feature on Brittany Moore who has emerged as one of the Minutewomen's top scoring threats recently. The converted defender has one of the team's best shots according to head coach Ed Matz.
On the heels of women's soccer's 1-0-1 weekend and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Danielle Kriscenski's Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor, Joey Saade had this sidebar in today's Daily Collegian:
While the Massachusetts women's soccer team entered this season with speculation surrounding a young roster, it still had one assurance in its back pocket: defense.
After giving up four goals in their season-opening loss against Siena, the Minutewomen have tightened up on the defensive side of the ball, allowing only four goals in their following four games.
While the offense is undergoing a transition period without its leading scorer from last year, Moa Mattsson, head coach Ed Matz believes that his defense will continue to shoulder the load.
"Ever since our first game of the year, our defense has played pretty solidly," Matz said after his team's win against New Hampshire.
In three of its last four games, UMass has allowed only one goal at most. The other result was a 2-0 loss to Army. The Minutewomen almost came away with back-to-back road game shutouts this past weekend, but they were unable to hold onto their 1-0 lead against Providence with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation.
One of the reasons for the defense's success has been the familiarity between the four returning starters, led by senior Lauren Skesavage, who said before the season began that she expected a lot out of her unit.
Another reason that cannot be overlooked is the productive play from redshirt freshman goalkeeper Danielle Kriscenski.
Kriscenski was just named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week this past Monday after putting up an impressive 1-0-1 record over the weekend. The freshman posted her first shutout victory over UNH on Sunday, while swatting away a career-high eight shots against the Friars on Friday.
"I was always talking to my defense," Kriscenski said. "I came off strong with my line and if something did happen, I just brushed it off my shoulder and kept going."
Joey Saade had a recap of women's soccer's 1-1 draw at Providence and 1-0 win at UNH from this past weekend:
The Massachusetts women's soccer team used a dominant defensive performance to grind out its first victory of the season on Sunday, taking down New Hampshire 1-0 in Durham, N.H.
Senior Brittany Moore scored the game's lone goal in the eighth minute - her first of the season - which was more than enough for redshirt freshman goalkeeper Danielle Kriscenski, who made five saves for her first-career shutout.
The UMass defense allowed just 14 shots and four corner kicks, further emphasizing coach Ed Matz's belief that the defense has been the team's strong point so far this season.
"We have a lot of confidence in our defense," he said. "Ever since the first game of the year, our defense has played pretty solidly. Kriscenski gained some confidence back there, getting her first win."
Mark Chiarelli had this piece in today's Daily Hampshire Gazette focusing on the team's youth and leadership:
University of Massachusetts women's soccer coach Ed Matz is cautiously optimistic.
Twenty of Matz's 27 players are either freshman or sophomores, a daunting figure for a team that hopes to be in the Atlantic 10 postseason picture.
"The learning curve of the team is huge," Matz said. "We're tremendously athletic, very fast, we have some skilled players. Sometimes those qualities in a young player are as positive as they can be negative because sometimes they're trying too hard."
Early on, the results lacked, as UMass lost three straight games to start the season.
"This team is very talented, very deep, but we're very young," he said. "We need to keep practicing and gelling together and creating opportunities for ourselves ... It's hard for young players to realize the importance of practicing hard every day and the importance of every game and every minute of the game."
Tom Mulherin of the Daily Collegian has a story on the UMass women's soccer team and the leadership that the group has.
"We came in a day and a half early, and had an outside group came in called 'The Program,'" Matz explained. "They put our team in leadership training, and it couldn't have been a better time for our program. It was great, and I think that it not only helped the six juniors and seniors become better leaders, but it also helped everyone become better teammates."
The UMass women's soccer team won it's second Atlantic 10 match in a row this past Saturday, closing out it's homemstand with a 3-1 victory over URI.
Kaitlin Boyer of the Daily Collegian had this recap of the match.
Also, checkout the postgame interviews with head coach Ed Matz and junior Grace Coombs:
In front of a large crowd at Rudd Field yesterday afternoon, the UMass women's soccer team battled with #6 UCLA, with the Bruins coming out on top, 2-1.
Several media outlets had coverage of the match. Also, check out the highlights and postgame interviews.
Daily Hampshire Gazette: Minutewomen achieve strong showing against UCLA in 2-1 soccer loss
MassLive: UMass women's soccer falls short in opener against No. 6 UCLA
Daily Collegian: UMass women's soccer falls to No. 6 UCLA in opener
The UMass women's soccer team will be playing for an Atlantic 10 title on Sunday for the first time since 1997 after upsetting previously undefeated No. 1-seed La Salle on Friday in Dayton, 1-0.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette has this recap: UMass women's soccer stuns La Salle in Atlantic-10 tournament
Also, check out the postgame interviews with head coach Ed Matz and senior Julie Morrissey:
Congratulations to the UMass women's soccer team on its first postseason victory since 1997 as the Minutewomen defeated St. Bonaventure in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Thursday evening in Dayton, Ohio.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a recap of the match.
Also, check out the highlights and postgame interviews:
Don't forget, the team is back in action again tonight, facing No. 1-seed La Salle in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Here are several ways to follow the action:
There are several Atlantic 10 Tournament previews for women's soccer today. The Minutewomen begin their quest for a sixth A-10 title tonight in Dayton vs. St. Bonaventure.
Daily Hampshire Gazette: A-10 tournament time for women's soccer & field hockey
Daily Collegian: Trio of Minutewomen looked to carry offense through postseason
Daily Collegian: Minutewomen have rhythm heading into postseason
There are plenty of options to follow tonight's match against the Bonnies:
Congratulations to the women's soccer team on its 2-0 win over Fordham yesterday that extended the squad's unbeaten streak to eight straight games and put the Minutewomen just two points out of first in the Atlantic 10 standings.
Check out the postgame interviews following that match:
Dick Baker also leads off his Local College Notebook today with a preview of Sunday's battle for first place at Rudd Field: Local College Notebook: UMass women's soccer challenges a team only a goal away from perfection.
Congratulations to the women's soccer team on its fifth straight shutout victory as the squad defeated Rhode Island, 2-0 in its Atlantic 10 opener this past Saturday. Check out the coverage of the win.
The Daily Collegian: Colarossi, Morrissey score to give UMass win in Atlantic 10-opener
Congratulations to the women's soccer team on its fourth straight 1-0 shutout victory, defeating Dartmouth on the road last night. Senior Julie Morrissey scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season just 20 seconds into the match.
The Daily Collegian has a recap of the match.
Here are some postgame interviews with head coach Ed Matz and senior co-captain Meghan Collins:
Also, the NCAA released the first RPI report of the 2011 season this morning, which has the Minutewomen in the No. 61 spot out of 322 Division I teams. UMass is currently ranked No. 8 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by the NSCAA in the latest poll that was released yesterday.
Congratulations to the women's soccer team on posting its third straight win yesterday afternoon, a 1-0 overtime victory courtesy of senior co-captain Deanna Colarossi's second of the season.
The Daily Collegian has this recap of the match, while David Martin has a notebook focusing on corner kicks, goalkeeping and the Minutewomen's balanced scoring attack.
Check out the highlights and postgame interviews here:
UMass women's soccer picked up its second straight win this past weekend, defeating Maine on Friday, 1-0, on Rudd Field. The squad is now off to its best start since 2007.
The Daily Collegian has this recap of the match, while Scott Cournoyer has this sidebar, focusing on the Minutewomen's midfield play and goalkeeping.
UMass women's soccer's win nationally-ranked Boston University was covered in the Springfield Republican and the Daily Collegian. Also, check out the highlights and interviews from the Minutewomen's first victory over a nationally-ranked team since 2006.
Republican: UMass women's soccer shocks No. 20 Boston University 1-0
Collegian: Defense secures 3 points against No. 20 Terriers
We caught up with head coach Ed Matz this afternoon for a little season preview. Watch the video and make sure to follow the action tomorrow when the Minutewomen open up at New Hampshire.
Three of Ed Matz' incoming freshman recently helped FC Stars of Massachusetts capture the Region I championship and will now advance to the National Finals in Arizona the week of July 25. Kristen Gargiulo, Becky Landers and Tori Sousa were all important components in the team advancing from its group with a 2-0-1 record and winning the championship over the Bethesda Dragons. Gargiulo, a graduate of Acton-Boxborough Regional, was a key defender while Landers, a graduate of Danvers High School played a pivotal role in the midfield. Sousa, a graduate of Nashua North High School in New Hampshire, provided creativity on the offensive side of the ball.
The three players will join the rest of Minutewomen squad on August 5 when preseason training officially kicks off for the 2011 campaign. UMass will open its season on August 23 at the University of New Hampshire at 4:00 pm.
The three players will join the rest of Minutewomen squad on August 5 when preseason training officially kicks off for the 2011 campaign. UMass will open its season on August 23 at the University of New Hampshire at 4:00 pm.
Women's soccer picked up a pair of important Atlantic 10 victories this weekend, a dominant 5-0 win over Temple on Friday and a thrilling 1-0 overtime win against Saint Joseph's on Sunday.
David Martin has a recap of both victories for the Daily Collegian and also has this nice column on the six seniors on the squad who were honored before Sunday's match.
Friday's win against the Owls, which featured a hat trick by junior Deanna Colarossi, was covered by New England Soccer News.
David Martin has a recap of both victories for the Daily Collegian and also has this nice column on the six seniors on the squad who were honored before Sunday's match.
Friday's win against the Owls, which featured a hat trick by junior Deanna Colarossi, was covered by New England Soccer News.
The Massachusetts women's soccer team will return to action on the road as it travels to play against Atlantic 10 conference opponent Rhode Island on Sunday.
Both UMass (5-8-0, 2-2-0 in A-10) and URI (1-11-1, 1-3-0 in A-10) are coming off losses via the shutout. The Rams closed out their non-conference schedule on Wednesday afternoon with a 3-0 loss to Brown.
Read the rest of Michael Counos' preview in the Daiy Collegian here.
David Martin also has this column about the Minutewomen's play on the road.
The Massachusetts women's soccer team will look to build off its 1-0 victory against Saint Louis this weekend when it faces Xavier and Dayton. However, UMass will have to contain the Flyers' best scorer, Colleen Williams, if it hopes to come back from Ohio with two wins. Read in the preview in the Daily Collegian.
The Massachusetts women's soccer team that struggled to finish games earlier this fall is now a major factor in its latest success. Part of UMass' resurgent has to do with freshman Emersyn Pullan replacing the injured Emily Cota in goal. Read the sidebar on the defense in the Daily Collegian.
Continue reading Women's Soccer Set For Ohio Schools.
The UMass women's soccer team ended its five-game losing streak with a strong 1-0 win over Saint Louis on Sunday, the squad's first in the all-time series with the Billikens. David Martin has a recap of the match, along with Friday's 2-1 loss to Charlotte in today's Daily Collgian.
Martin also has this sidebar on freshman Emersyn Pullan, who earned her first two collegiate starts this weekend and picked up her first career shutout.
Martin also has this sidebar on freshman Emersyn Pullan, who earned her first two collegiate starts this weekend and picked up her first career shutout.
The Massachusetts women's soccer team begins Atlantic 10 play this weekend, opening up at home with Charlotte on Friday and Saint Louis on Sunday at Rudd Field.
Check out the Daily Collegian preview of this weekend's matches: Minutewomen open conference play over weekend
Michael Counos also has a sidebar on the expected return of senior forward Sydney Stoll, UMass' leading scorer from a year ago: Minutewomen looking for Stoll's return to spark run.
Check out the Daily Collegian preview of this weekend's matches: Minutewomen open conference play over weekend
Michael Counos also has a sidebar on the expected return of senior forward Sydney Stoll, UMass' leading scorer from a year ago: Minutewomen looking for Stoll's return to spark run.
Women's soccer picked up two wins over the weekend to move to 3-2-0 on the season with a 2-1 overtime thriller on Friday against New Hampshire and its second four-goal output of the year, shutting out Fairfield on Sunday. The Daily Collegian has a recap of both matches, while Michael Counos has a column on UMass' increased offensive production.
In its first road game of the season, the Massachusetts women's soccer team went scoreless as it suffered a 1-0 loss to Albany. UMass, however, dominated all over the field with 17 shots compared to the Great Danes' nine. The lack of a goal scorer was what ultimately hurt the Minutewomen as goalkeeper Emily Cota and the defense played well.
Click here to read more of David Martin's recap in the Daily Collegian.
Click here to read more of David Martin's recap in the Daily Collegian.
With school back in session, The Daily Collegian has women's soccer coverage from the first week of the season. Check out their season preview and recap of the Minutewomen's win over Vermont last Friday.
Women's soccer's 4-0 win over Vermont on Friday was covered by The Republican, The Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Examiner.
The match featured four different goal scorers and was first year head coach Ed Matz's first victory at UMass and 100th of his career as a women's head coach.
The match featured four different goal scorers and was first year head coach Ed Matz's first victory at UMass and 100th of his career as a women's head coach.
Both the Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Springfield Republican have women's soccer season previews today. The Minutewomen will open up the 2010 season tomorrow, Aug. 27, against Washington at 4 p.m. on Rudd Field. It will mark the debut of new head coach Ed Matz.