Behind a record-setting performance by quarterback Jay Furtado (Swansea, MA), UMass Dartmouth opened its football season with an easy 39-12 non-conference victory over Curry College in Milton.

Furtado tossed five first-half touchdown passes, including four in the first quarter, to lead the Corsairs (1-0) to a 32-6 halftime lead. For the game, Furtado connected on nine of 13 passes for 168 yard and five TDs. The junior quarterback's performance earned him both the ECAC and New England Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Curry College (0-2) started quickly on the opening series when Eric Wilson broke free for a 75-yard touchdown. But the Corsairs came right back less than two minutes later when Furtado hit Sean McGlynn (Swansea, MA) with the first of two TD passes. McGlynn's first catch, a nine-yard scoring pass, was followed less than a minute later by a 34-yard TD reception and a 12-6 Corsair lead.

While UMass Dartmouth's defense held Curry scoreless into the fourth quarter, the Corsairs' offense continued to find the endzone. Dave Spiriti (Everett, MA) grabbed a 23-yard TD pass from Furtado and Eric Lundell's (Mansfield, MA) first of three conversions boosted UMass Dartmouth to a 19-6 lead with only six minutes gone. Three minutes later, Furtado hit Ryan Bland (Dartmouth, MA) for a 20-yard TD, the fourth of the opening quarter. Lundell hauled in Furtado's fifth and final TD pass with 8:16 left in the second quarter. Lundell followed his 39-yard TD reception with another extra point for the 32-6 halftime lead.

Steve Wozniak (Whitman, MA) added the Corsairs' final touchdown early in the third quarter. His three-yard run and Lundell's extra point put the game out of reach. Bland was the Corsairs' top receiver with six catches for 82 yards, McGlynn had three for 52 yards, while Mike Masse picked up 78 yards on 13 carries.

Defensive back Jay Kirby (New Bedford, MA) led the UMass Dartmouth defense with a pair of interceptions.

Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) picked up right where she left off last season, scoring a pair of goals in UMass Dartmouth's 4-0 season-opening victory over Elms College (0-1). A 1996 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Second Team All Northeast selection and the Corsairs' (1-0) second leading scorer a year ago (7-5-19), Maloney scored what proved to be the game-winner with an assist from Erin McDonald (Greenfield, MA) midway through the first half. Maureen Zukowski (Dartmouth, MA) made it 2-0 with a goal assisted by Ashley Dorman (Harwich, MA) less than a minute later.

In the second half, Dorman scored her first of the season with an assist from Zukowski and Maloney closed out the scoring with her second, this one from Kelly Place (Ashland, MA). Becky Medeiros (Fall River, MA) and Paul Malcom (Milford, MA) shared the netminding duties for the Corsairs, but they didn't have to make a save in the game. UMass Dartmouth outshot Elms College, 19-0.

Earlier in the week, Coach Marilyn Ritz announced that the Corsairs had selected Maloney, a senior, and juniors Karyn Hodgkins (Dartmouth, MA) and Jennifer Cornwell (Wareham, MA) to serve as tri-captains for the 1997 season.

Coach Warren Preti's Corsairs opened their 1997 season with a pair of victories over Babson College (5-2) and the University of Southern Maine (5-1). Four victories in singles plus one in doubles were the successful formula against Babson College as Mary Bourque (Rochester, MA) at #1, Kelly Berger (Buzzards Bay, MA) at #3, Shannon Kelleher (Saugus, MA) at #4 and Olivia Cunha (New Bedford, MA) #5 were all victorious. The #3 doubles combination of Cunha and Ashley Kennedy (Holliston, MA) were also winners against Babson College.

Against Southern Maine, three of the singles matches were suspended but UMass Dartmouth already had three singles victories plus a pair of doubles victories for an insurmountable lead. At #2 singles, Kasha Gula (Mansfield, MA) won her first match of the season (6-2, 5-7, 6-0), while Cunha at #5 and at #6 were the other straight-set singles winners. Bourque was in a third-set tie breaker (6-3, 2-6, 6-6) up 3-1, when her match was suspended. Earlier in the day, Bourque and Berger teamed up for a straight-set doubles win at #1 and the team of Kennedy and Cunha also took their #3 doubles match in straight sets.

The Corsairs gave new coach Niall O'Donnell a victory in his first game when the Corsairs scored three first-half goals enroute to a 4-1 season-opening win over Wentworth Institute of Technology. On the road three days later, however, UMass Dartmouth dropped a 2-1 decision to Amherst College (1-0).

Torry Terrassi (So. Easton, MA) was the offensive standout for UMass Dartmouth in its first two games. Terrassi, a Little East Conference Honor Roll selection this week, had a pair of unassisted goals in the win over Wentworth and added the Corsairs' only goal in the loss to the Lord Jeffs.

Against Wentworth, Mike Takas (Winchester, MA) scored the Corsairs' first goal of the O'Donnell era less than three minutes into the game. Takas' goal was assisted by Fabio Cardoso (New Bedford, MA) at the 2:30 mark of the first half. Terrassi increased the Corsairs' lead to 2-0 with his first unassisted goal at 35:20. Adison DaSilva (Dorchester, MA) made it 3-0 seven minutes later with his first goal of the season (unassisted) at 41:45. Terrassi added his second unassisted goal at 67:00 of the second half. Goalie Rob Moles (Taunton, Ma) made ten saves to pick up his first career victory, but missed out on a shutout when Wentworth (1-1) scored at the 79:00 mark.

Trailing 1-0 late in the first half at Amherst College, Terrassi tied the game, 1-1, with as assist from Chris Serafini (W. Springfield, MA) at the 44:00 minute mark. The Corsairs couldn't get back on the scoreboard in the second half and ended up losing the game when the Lord Jeffs scored the game-winner at the 78:00 mark. Moles was credited with three saves in goal and Rob Costa (Taunton, MA) made one save.

The Corsairs sandwiched a pair of defeats around a 2-0 victory in their home opener against Roger Williams University to go 1-2 on the week. UMass Dartmouth dropped its season opener, 4-0, to Binghamton University, ranked #4 in the NCAA Division III women's soccer poll. Against Smith College three days later, the Corsairs gave up a goal in the game's first minute and it stood up in a 1-0 loss.

The Corsairs had some scoring chances early against Binghamton, but when they couldn't capitalize, their opponents took full advantage of the break. Binghamton scored four goals in the first half on the way to a 4-0 victory. In her first start in goal for the Corsairs, Jennifer Nelson (Medford, MA) came up with 21 saves.

UMass Dartmouth's home opener provided Nelson with her first victory and first shutout as the Corsairs got two second-half goals from Stephanie Oles (Putnam, MA) and Jen Tolson (Whitman, MA) for the 2-0 win. Nelson was required to make only two saves as the Corsairs dominated play throughout the game. Oles' goal from Alyson Conner (Salem, MA) at 49:48 broke the scoreless tie and Tolson's goal, assisted by Jennifer De Jordy (Chicopee, MA) at 89:02 was the icing on the cake.

Smith College (3-1) got a quick start against the Corsairs, scoring in the game's first minute to take a 1-0 lead. Neither team could score for the next 89 minutes, resulting in the Corsairs' second loss of the season. Nelson made 16 saves in a losing effort as the Corsairs were outshot, 16-8.

From a field of 10 teams, the Corsairs placed sixth at the annual Amherst College Invitational held at Amherst College. The Corsairs top runner over the 5,000-meter course was Tara Carson (Beverly, MA), who finished 20th with a time of 20:49. Erin Mandelbert of Coast Guard was the individual winner at 19:41 and Springfield College won the team event.

Eleven seconds behind Carson in 24th place was Mandy Cordeiro (Fall River, MA) at 21:00 and seven seconds behind her was co-captain Maura McDonald (Greenfield, MA) in 31st place in 21:07. Melissa Ying (Andover, MA) placed 42nd with a time of 21:20 and Karla Jarquin (Shrewsbury, MA) came in at 22:25 for 57th place overall.

UMass Dartmouth dropped its season opener and Coach Rick Quintin's debut to Stonehill College (1-0) in straight sets (15-4, 15-5, 15-7). In the Corsairs' first match under their new coach, UMass Dartmouth got strong defensive games from captains Amy Wilson (Dartmouth, MA) and Gen O'Brien (Swansea, MA) and Cindy Brehaut (Dartmouth, MA) on the back line. The Corsairs (0-1) registered 21 team digs in the match.

Gary Mello (Woburn, MA) turned in a strong fifth-place finish in the annual Amherst College Invitational, covering the five-mile course in 26:22. Rob Mitchell of the host school was the individual winner at 25:56 and Tufts took the team competition.

UMass Dartmouth did not place in the final team competition because they did not have the necessary five runners compete in the event. Among the Corsairs who did run in the first invitational meet of the year for UMass Dartmouth were Pierre Reyne (Fontebellon, France) (59th, 30:010), Jeff Reed (Westport, MA) (68th, 30:19) and Pat Gallagher (Fairhaven, MA) (75th, 30:38).

The Silver Edition of the UMass Dartmouth Invitational race will be run on Saturday, September 20, 1997.

To help celebrate the 25th edition of the Invitational which has attraced 31 cross country teams from across New England this year, Meet Directors John Hird and Joe McCarthy invited Peter Kuchinski, who won the first men's race in 1973, and Christy Baker Cosgrove, who won the first women's race in 1979 to serve as starters.

Tuesday, September 16

Men's Soccer @ Salem State
Field Hockey vs. Wheaton College
Women's Volleyball vs. Wellesley College

Wednesday, September 17

Women's Soccer vs. Bridgewater State

Thursday, September 18

Men's Soccer at Salve Regina
Women's Volleyball @ Babson College
Field Hockey vs. Wellesley
Women's Tennis vs. Wheaton

Friday, September 19

Men's Golf @ Nichols

Saturday, September 20

Football @ Worcester State
Men's Soccer @ Worcester State
Women's Volleyball @ Brandeis Inv.
Women's Tennis @ Salve Doubles Tourn.
Women's Soccer @ Springfield
Field Hockey @ Worcester State
Men's/Women's Cross Country host UMass Dartmouth Invitational