|
Field Hockey 2012 Season-In-Review
Dec. 3, 2012
2012 UMass Season In-Review The Minutewomen opened the season with a treacherous non-conference schedule; however, UMass capped off the slate with a victory over #1 Syracuse, marking the first such instance in which a varsity female athletic team at the university knocked off the top-ranked team nationally in recorded history of UMass athletics. The victory over the Orange also marked the beginning of a 10-game winning streak that extended into the postseason, netting UMass an Atlantic 10 Tournament Title and NCAA Tournament Play-In Game victory. During the stretch of 10 consecutive wins, which included a 5-0 drubbing of #16 Richmond for the conference championship, the Minutewomen outscored their opposition, 40-9. Among the 15 victories earned by Tagliente's squad stands six wins over top-25 teams, including competition with #1 Syracuse, #15 Ohio State, #16 Richmond, #17 Boston College, #18 New Hampshire and #24 Maine. Entering the A-10 Tournament as the host and #2 seed, the Minutewomen rolled through their two-game slate with blowout wins over Temple and Richmond, paced by A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player Thando Zono, who also tallied NFHCA First Team All-Region and A-10 First Team All-Conference in her final collegiate year. After downing Rider, 2-1 in overtime at Garber Field, the Minutewomen were selected for a rematch with Syracuse to open NCAA Tournament play. Ranked #5 in the country at the time of the game, the Orange earned victory at Penn State's Nittany Lion Field Hockey Complex, 4-2 to close out the UMass season. Zono Named NFHCA First Team All-America Four Take Home NFHCA All-Region Honors Zono, the A-10 Tournament's Most Outstanding Player capped her UMass career with 33 points, tied for the most on the team with Young, on 14 goals and five assists. Allymohamed provided clutch defensive performances throughout her sophomore campaign, earning UMass fourth consecutive A-10 Defensive Player of the Year laurel as the Minutewomen held opponents to just 1.75 goals per game. Young closed her four-year tenure with UMass as the active leader in points due to a consistent offensive output at a senior, securing 33 points on 13 goals and seven assists in her final season. Cordero finished third on the Minutewomen with 29 points on 14 goals and an assist, tying with Zono for most tallies on the year. UMass Ends Season In NCAA Tournament The Orange offense totaled three goals during the first half to create a difficult deficit for the potent UMass attack to overcome. After Syracuse added a fourth mark to stretch the lead in the final stanza, senior defender Thando Zono notched back-to-back goals to reach the final score. Zono used a pass from sophomore defender Lauren Allymohamed to put UMass in the scoring column before converting a penalty corner attempt during the last minutes of action to reach the final score. UMass Wins Atlatic 10 Tournament Zono recorded a pair of goals in the first half before adding a third in the final stanza - using penalty corners to directly or indirectly record each. Zono opened scoring in the 10th minute with a rebound shot following her initial penalty corner attempt before adding her second of the day on a traditional penalty corner play at the 32:53 mark. After Kate Heineman and Kim Young added a goal each to turn the contest into a rout, Zono notched the final mark of the contest in the 64th minute following an insert by Heineman and stop by Callie Sweigart. Heineman tallied four points on the contest, with a pair of assists to go with her second goal of the season. Sweigart added a trio of assists while Young and Hannah Prince each had one helper. Following conclusion of play, UMass had five players named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team in Zono, freshman goalkeeper Sam Carlino, sophomore defender Lauren Allymohamed, senior forward Nicole Cordero and freshman midfielder Noralie Weusthuis. UMass Records 10-Game Winning Streak To secure the 10 positive decisions, UMass mixed stout defensive performances with the highlight-reel offensive shows-of-force typical under Carla Tagliente-led attacking units. The Minutewomen outscored their opposition, 40-9 during the winning streak, averaging 4.00 goals scored to only 0.90 allowed per contest. The streak of victories includes two wins over Temple and one each against #1 Syracuse, #16 Richmond, Saint Louis, VCU, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Lock Haven and Rider. UMass Ends Season In NCAA Tournament The Orange offense totaled three goals during the initial half to create a difficult deficit for the potent UMass attack to overcome. After Syracuse added a fourth mark to stretch the lead to 4-0 in the final stanza, senior defender Thando Zono notched back-to-back goals to reach the final score. Zono used a pass from sophomore defender Lauren Allymohamed to put UMass in the scoring column before converting a penalty corner attempt during the last minutes of action to reach the final score. Minutewomen Tally A Dozen Conference Laurels Tagliente was named the conference's Coach of the Year. Allymohamed - a starter on the backline in each of UMass' 20 games this season through Nov. 1 - also secured Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team along with a trio of squad mates, including senior forward Nicole Cordero, senior midfielder Kim Young and senior defender Thando Zono. In addition to the four first team honorees, a pair of freshman were named to the A-10 All-Conference Second Team and All-Rookie Team in goalkeeper Sam Carlino and midfielder Noralie Weusthuis. On the academic side, Young and Zono were tabbed as part of the 11-student Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference squad. The laurel is the second such for Young while it marks the first time Zono was recognized for her academic success at the University of Massachusetts. Weusthuis Brings In A-10 Honor The freshman from Hengelo, The Netherlands, produced one goal against Temple in UMass' 4-1 win before adding a pair of unassisted tallies against the Lady Eagles. For the season, Weusthuis ranks fourth on the squad with 14 points on six goals and two assists and is tops among all A-10 freshman in points during conference play, with nine on four goals and one helper. UMass Rolls La Salle, Saint Joseph's Against La Salle, senior Nicole Cordero provided two goals while classmate Kate Heineman and freshman Noralie Weusthuis added a tally. Heineman netted her first goal of the season - and the eventual game-winner - in the 30th minute to push UMass ahead, 1-0. The senior from Ellicott, Md., sent home a loose ball after Weusthuis fired an on-target attempt at La Salle goalkeeper Lisa Shaffer. When facing the Hawks two days later, five UMass field hockey seniors led the Minutewomen to a 5-1 victory at Saint Joseph's Ellen Ryan Field on Sunday afternoon. Senior defenders Callie Sweigart and Thando Zono and classmates Cordero, Heineman and Kim Young directed the UMass offense while combining for three goals and five assists on the day. Freshman midfielder Allie Sabia and redshirt-sophomore midfielder Marisa Dunn added their first collegiate tallies during competition against the Hawks. Trio Honored Following Wins Cordero has supplied the Minutewomen with an offensive spark throughout the season and has heightened her play since conference competition began. After three goals and an assist over two games during the previous weekend, Cordero now owns 13 points on six tallies and one helper through five conference games. On the season overall, Cordero leads UMass with 12 goals and an assist for 25 points, the fourth-highest total in the Atlantic 10. Carlino netted her first weekly honor with a strong showing against the Explorers and Hawks, only allowing two goals in 140 minutes of play while recording nine saves. Carlino has achieved similar dominance to Cordero's when facing A-10 opposition, owning a 0.63 goals against average and .870 save percentage while only allowing three goals in more than 330 minutes in net against A-10 foes. Zono was tabbed the co-UMass Athlete of the Week with swimming and diving's Katie Arnott after Zono helped to lead the Minutewomen through another successful A-10 weekend. Zono spearheaded the offensive charge against Saint Joseph's, recording a goal and two assists to improve the senior defender's season points total to 18 on seven goals and four assists. Young Reaches The 60-Point Plateau This year, Young has turned in her best single-season performance at UMass, owning first on the squad with 32 points on 13 goals and six assists. For her overall success on the field and in the classroom, Young has been awarded numerous honors, including First Team A-10 All-Conference (2011-12), A-10 All-Conference Rookie Team (2009) and NFHCA National Academic Squad (2011) and Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference (2011-12). Zono, Allymohamed Notch Weekly Awards Zono earned the game-winning goal against No. 1 Syracuse before adding her second goal of the weekend against Saint Louis. Allymohamed assisted on the game-winner against the Orange before providing another helper against VCU. UMass Totals Perfect Three-Game Week Against Saint Louis, senior Nicole Cordero paced the offense with her first collegiate hat trick while Thando Zono, Lindsay Bowman and Molly MacDonnell added a mark each. The Minutewomen controlled play from the onset, finishing with a 30-2 advantage in shots while scoring the first four goals. When UMass faced VCU two days later, the squad produced its first shutout of the season, 3-0 behind strong play from the defense and three saves in the cage by freshman goalkeeper Sam Carlino. Senior midfielder Kim Young scored the eventual game-winner on an assist from Nicole Cordero. Callie Sweigart and Alyssa Ineson added insurance goals for UMass, with Ineson's marking the first of her collegiate career. Minutewomen Upend No. 1 Syracuse, 2-1 Zono provided the decisive goal in the contest during the 63rd minute of play, her fifth tally of the season. Freshman midfielder Allie Sabia controlled possession to begin the attacking run and sent a pass to Zono. After the ball trickled through the legs of a Syracuse defender, Zono ripped a shot into the left side of the cage just inside the post to push UMass ahead, 2-1 at the 62:55 mark. Zono's goal came slightly more than five minutes after Weusthuis equalized the contest with a re-direction at the 56:16 mark. Sophomore defender Lauren Allymohamed earned her first assist of the season as Allymohamed delivered a perfect pass from outside of the circle to Weusthuis' waiting stick. With the win, the field hockey team became the first women's program to defeat a No. 1-ranked opponent in recorded UMass athletic history. Top Notch Competition Tested Minutewomen Within the Atlantic 10, the eight-team conference played 44 games against top-25 opponents combined, with Richmond and Temple challenging the second-most (seven) while Lock Haven, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, La Salle and VCU have tallied four. As a whole, the conference finished 9-35 against NFHCA Top-25 opposition, with UMass owning six of those victories. Richmond downed No. 19 Williams & Mary and No. 25 American University while Temple fought by No. 15 Drexel to join UMass as the only A-10 teams with wins over top-25 opposition. 70 Minutes of Field Hockey Wasn't Enough Previously, UMass played six or more overtime games in a season only once, when the Minutewomen had six games need extra minutes during the 2000 campaign, which encompassed 23 contests. Throughout the entire A-10 Conference there have only been 18 overtime contests, with UMass being the only squad to participate in more than three games that played beyond regulation time. Prince Named A-10 Player of the Week Prince scored the first two goals of her career; both overtime game-winners, as the Minutewomen defeated No. 18 New Hampshire and No. 15 Ohio State by 2-1 margins on Friday and Saturday in Durham, N.H. She factored in UMass' first goal vs. the Buckeyes, as well, dishing her first career assist. UMass Downs No. 18 New Hampshire, No. 15 Ohio State During Opening Week The pair of wins put the Minutewomen out to their first 2-0 beginning to a season since 2000. UMass' last 3-0 start came in 1996 when the squad opened up with four consecutive wins. Brooke Sabia, Allie Sabia, Courtney Spleen, Noralie Weusthuis and Sam Carlino all made their collegiate debuts at New Hampshire. Allie Sabia also logged her first career assist against the Wildcats. In addition to the two game-winners by Prince, seniors Kim Young and Thando Zono also added tallies against UNH and Ohio State, respectively. In goal for UMass, Carlino had three saves vs. the Buckeyes.
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 
