UMass Dartmouth women finish sixth in the LEC to earn post-season tournament bid for second season

(Dartmouth, MA) - The 2002 women's soccer season at UMass Dartmouth finished with a 6-8-2 overall record and a sixth place finish in the Little East Conference at 2-4-1. But a pair of late season wins and a key tie helped UMass Dartmouth earn its second invitation to the LEC Tournament in as many seasons.

Although eliminated by Western Connecticut State University in the first round, UMass Dartmouth had another solid season under the direction of head coach Alex Silva.

The Corsairs had a pair of impressive stretches throughout the 2002 season, including a three game winning streak early in the season and a four game unbeaten streak in mid-October which helped put the Corsairs into the LEC Tournament. After knocking off Salve Regina in a non-conference game on Oct. 7, UMass Dartmouth moved up in the LEC standings with a 0-0 tie against Rhode Island College followed by a 2-0 win over Southern Maine and a 3-0 win over UMass Boston.

At the conclusion of the 2002 season, UMass Dartmouth lost two of its top three scorers to graduation, but will have a solid base of key returners for the 2003 season.

Leading the scoring for UMass Dartmouth was senior forward Leanne Teixeira (Mattapoisett, MA); one of three Corsairs who were named LEC Second Team All-Stars at season's end. In 16 games, Teixeira had 29 shots on goal, a team-high, scoring four goals with three assists for 11 points (tied for 15th in LEC). Ranked second in scoring was sophomore forward/midfielder Sarah Briggs (East Taunton, MA) who had three goals and four assists for 10 points. Senior midfielder/defender Sarah Bourque (Rochester, MA), a LEC Second Team selection, capped her career with three goals and three assists for nine points.

Among the top scorers returning next season are sophomore defender Stephanie Leahy (Burlington, MA), who finished her season with four goals for eight points. Maria Serrichio (Trumbull, CT), a first-year midfielder/forward for the Corsairs netted three goals for six points followed by junior forward Elena Gomez's (Rockland, MA) two goals and an assist for five points.

UMass Dartmouth's defense will benefit from the return of first-year goalie Amanda Tavares (Dartmouth, MA). In 11 games for the Corsairs, Tavares faced 90 shots on goal and came up with 67 saves. She allowed 16 goals for a 1.47 goals against average, tied for fifth best in the LEC. She also posted a pair of shutouts to go with her 2-6-2 record in net. Tavares earned Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 20 when she was unscored upon for a period of 200 minutes including six saves in the win over Southern Maine and a scoreless overtime tie with Rhode Island College.

As a team, UMass Dartmouth outscored its opponents by one goal, scoring 24 while allowing 23. The Corsairs outscored opponents 13-9 in the first half but were outscored in the second half, 14-11.