Michael Counos of the Daily Collegian has the recap of Friday's A-10 semifinal loss by the field hockey team to Temple, 4-0 at St. Joe's. It proved to be the final career game for seniors Christine Cutry, Amanda Dietz, Nikki Panciocco, and Alesha Widdall, the 2011 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The class finishes its career with a 51-33 overall record, a 21-4 conference record, and two A-10 Championships and NCAA Tournaments.
UM falls to Temple in A-10 semifinals - Daily Collegian
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Michael Counos of the Daily Collegian previews UMass field hockey's big game on Friday against Richmond. The Minutewomen, 5-0 and alone in first by one game in the Atlantic 10 standings, close out conference play and their home schedule against the Spiders at Garber Field at 1 p.m. Friday will also be Senior Day, with Christine Cutry, Amanda Dietz, Nikki Panciocco, and Alesha Widdall all being honored prior to the game.
Minutewomen playing for title, seniors - Daily Collegian
"I think this group of seniors is just very resilient, take everything in stride and just always keep competing and understand that nothing comes easy and they have to work for it," said UMass coach Carla Tagliente.
Michael Counos of the Daily Collegian has a story on the UMass field hockey team's 2-0 weekend that vaulted them alone into first place in the Atlantic 10 standings at 5-0. The Minutewomen defeated La Salle at home 2-0 and then went to previously unbeaten in A-10 play Temple, winning 2-1 in overtime in an impressive come-from-behind win.
Minutewomen sit atop A-10 standings - Daily Collegian
"Our confidence is pretty high right now, once A-10 play started we had a new mind-set and knew that we needed to play well to move on to the postseason," said senior All-American goalie Alesha Widdall.
The Minutewomen close A-10 play on Friday when they host Richmond on Senior Day at Garber Field at 1 p.m.
With the new defensive approach comes a new mindset, which incorporates an offensive attitude. It gives the defense a chance to push the ball up the field, thus creating more shots and scoring opportunities.
"The biggest key as it is with any defensive structure is to communicate and stay organized," said Bourazeris.
The UMass field hockey team played its home opener on Saturday at Garber Field, shutting out Harvard, 3-0. Not only did the team improve to 2-3 on the season as it kicked off a four-game homestand, but prior to the game a ceremony was held honoring the 30th anniversary of the Minutewomen's 1981 National Finalist team. Many players from that '81 squad came back to UMass for the occassion. Check out coverage of Saturday's win below.
Daily Collegian: Minutewomen pick up victory on anniversary
Harvard Crimson: Harvard Shut Out By UMass, Suffers First Loss
Boxscore News: UMass Hands Harvard First Loss Of Season
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UMass field hockey junior goalkeeper Alesha Widdall is currently playing in Europe with the US Junior National Team (U-21). USA Field Hockey has posted a schedule for Team USA's games in Ireland yesterday and today, as well as the games in Germany throughout the rest of the week.
The USA U-21 squad is coached by former UMass player and assistant coach, and current Boston College coach Ainslee Lamb.
Also, new UMass head coach Carla Tagliente is the head coach of the USA U-19 squad. She is assisted by UMass alum and current Duke head coach Pam Bustin. Stay tuned for updates on what the U-19'ers are up to during their training season.
Good luck to Alesha as she represents the Red, White, & Blue!
A quartet of birthdays on Jan. 3. Best wishes to women's track sophomore Christina Chapman, women's swimming freshman Colleen Hespeler, field hockey All-American Alesha Widdall and men's swimming freshman Jake Wingfield.
Adam Miller of the Daily Collegian has a great column on field hockey goalkeeper Alesha Widdall and how she has led the Minutewomen to two victories over top 10 teams this season (1-0 vs. #4 UConn on Sept. 11 and 2-0 vs. #8 Syracuse on Oct. 3), and how the team will rely on her throughout conference play.
"She is always outstanding," Head Coach Justine Sowry said following the Minutewomen's 2-0 win over the Orange. "With a quality goalkeeper back there, we can play more aggressive, and having her back there really gives the team great confidence."
Widdall and the Minutewomen begin A-10 play on Saturday night when they host Saint Louis at 6 p.m. at Garber Field.
On Head Coach Justine Sowry's birthday, her UMass field hockey team gave her the gift of a 2-0 shutout victory over No. 8 Syracuse at Garber on Sunday. The win was UMass' second over a top 10 team this season (No. 4 UConn, Sept. 11) and first victory against the Orange since 1998. Below are stories on the win:
VIDEO: Postgame InterviewsMinutewomen Shut Out Another Top 10 Team, Daily Collegian
Alesha Widdall Plays Large Role In Victory, Daily Collegian
Podcast: Mike Wood & Nick O'Malley Discuss UMass' Win, Daily Collegian
Orange Shut Out At Garber, SUAthletics.com
Minutewomen Shut Out Orange, 2-0, Daily Orange
