by Jim Mullins
Administrative Assistant for Promotion/Public Information
UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department

UMass Dartmouth second women's lacrosse season
produces first playoff victory and winning record

(Dartmouth, MA) -- UMass Dartmouth's women's lacrosse team concluded its second varsity season with another significant first to its credit. In the Corsairs' rookie season a year ago, Coach Jerry Jenning's team finished 5-7 and became only the first team to qualify for the New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance Playoffs in its first season of varsity competition.

This past season, the Corsairs posted a 7-6 overall record, 4-2 in the NEWLA and again qualified for the post-season playoffs. UMass Dartmouth's second season was highlighted by the Corsairs' first NEWLA playoff victory, a 15-11 win over Eastern Connecticut State University, who knocked the Corsairs out of the playoffs a year ago.

In the first NEWLA playoff game ever played at UMass Dartmouth, the Corsairs found themselves trailing at halftime, 7-6, to Eastern Connecticut. UMass Dartmouth turned the game around in the second half by outscoring ECSU, 9-4, for the 15-11 win. First-year player Emily Valorz (Milton, MA) was the offensive hero for UMass Dartmouth scoring all three of her goals in the second half, while goalie sophomore Denise Saucier (Uxbridge, MA) came up with 16 saves for the win. Senior Lisa Haynes (Pembroke, Bermuda) and Valorz both had three goals for the Corsairs, while senior co-captain Janice Hopper (Dracut, MA), first-year player Beth Murray (Springfield, MA), senior Channa Jones (Walpole, MA) and sophomore Sara Tuxbury (Sudbury, MA) had two goals each. Senior co-captain Stacy Millen (Weston, MA) scored a single goal for the Corsairs.

UMass Dartmouth's 1999 season finally came to a conclusion with a 17-14 loss to Bridgewater State College in the NEWLA semi-finals. UMass Dartmouth trailed 9-5 at halftime and made it close in the second half, outscoring Bridgewater, 9-8, before falling by three goals. Valorz led the Corsairs with five goals and an assist, while Jones added four goals and Hopper had three for the Corsairs.

The keys to UMass Dartmouth's success in 1999 were a balanced offensive attack and a tremendous rookie season from Saucier in goal. Despite having no experience as a women's lacrosse goalie prior to the season, Saucier was key to UMass Dartmouth's defensive unit. In 13 games, Saucier made 180 saves for a saves percentage of .6944, ranking her 18th among NCAA Division III goalies nationally. She had a goals against average of 10 per game and averaged 9.62 saves per game.

The Corsairs' offensive unit outscored its opponents, 173-141, in 13 games. Valorz was UMass Dartmouth's leading scorer, finishing with a team-high 38 goals plus seven assists for 45 points. Haynes was UMass Dartmouth's second leading scorer with 24 goals and a team-high 11 assists for 35 points, followed by Jones with 23 goals and an assist for 24 points. Among the Corsairs' other top scorers were Hopper (18-1-19), Millen (17-1-18) and Tuxbury (16-1-17).