The 1998 season will be very different.

The long-time UMass Dartmouth club team has moved up to varsity status this spring along with the women's lacrosse team, bringing the number of varsity sports to 25.

The Corsairs will move into the NCAA Division III Pilgrim League and compete against other varsity teams from Plymouth State, Keene State, Eastern Connecticut State, and Clark University.

Coach Jeff Feroce credits the change in status to the efforts of the Student Senate on campus, which began campaigning for the upgrade in 1995. Feroce, a past student at UMass Dartmouth, was part of the original club team in 1988 and became coach in 1993.

"I've been with the program since its cradle days" admits Feroce, planning to remain active and try to further the team's growth by making a good showing in its first varsity season.

As his new squad gets ready for its first varsity season, Feroce has noticed a big change.

"In the past, we were really confined to the outdoors and at the whim of the weather and our field wasn't really an athletic field," Feroce said. "So all the elements made practice spotty in the early weeks of March when we get started. Now, under a varsity umbrella, we started practicing in the gymnasium during the first week of February and we are going five days a week."

Feroce is relying on the skills of past players because he didn't get the chance to recruit as much as he would have liked in his first season.

"We weren't officially declared varsity until late March or early April of last year and at that point 99% of the students in high school had decided where they wanted to play," he said.

However, Feroce didn't give up and started a letter writing campaign to every single high school in New England to announce the sport. Feroce was rewarded by getting a couple of players to change their mind at the last minute and come to UMass Dartmouth.

Feroce's team received its biggest infusion of new talent from students who transferred into UMass Dartmouth at mid-semester because they had heard the men's lacrosse team had reached varsity status.

Among the new transfers students was junior midfielder Mike Cusilito (Falmouth, MA), who transferred from a Division I team at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

"That's a beginning," Feroce said. "I think its a realistic goal that I'll have six or seven good players come in right out of high school next year," Feroce said.

The key players Feroce will be counting on this season include senior tri-captain Brian Curreiri (Weymouth, MA), who was a Pioneer League All-Star last year, junior co-captains Dan Hemmenway (Weymouth, MA) at midfield and Nat Moor (Falmouth, MA) positioned at attack. In goal, Feroce's is putting his faith in senior Steven Brandt (Newton, MA), who was also a Pioneer League All-Star last year.

"If I had to gauge the ability of this year's team I would say we would have as much talent as we did back in 1993, when we beat Dean Junior College, one of the strongest teams ranked in the top ten among junior colleges," Feroce said.

Two years ago, the Corsairs had a successful season at 7-3, but dropped to a 3-6 last year. This season Feroce figures his team could come out 5-5 with a chance to win 70% of our games."

The Corsairs opening game will take place at New York Maritime on March 24, followed by a game at Centenary College in New Jersey the following day. UMass Dartmouth's first home game will be played on March 30 at 3:30 in the football stadium on campus.

According to Feroce, the students are grateful for varsity status.

When we were a club we were a very serious club against clubs like ourselves--the renegade clubs so to speak. So we made it as serious as we could, but it didn't have that varsity slant to it. It still meant something to the players. But spiritually, we now see ourselves differently," he said.

"Players understand there are consequences. They realize as players they are in a whole new ball game and they are pleased to be part of the beginnings of a newly ranked lacrosse team."

That's why 1998 will be a very different year for Feroce and his Corsairs.