taking home the gold

‘Oh captain, my captain’: Hassett leads team to championship glory

By Trevor Medeiros

When most people think of the challenges that come with the title of captain, dealing with pressure is certainly on top of the list. No doubt UMass Dartmouth Cheerleading captain Courtney Hassett felt her own share of pressure leading her team into last weekend’s National Cheerleading Association Division II championships in Daytona Beach.

However, when the pressure was on, Hassett and her teammates delivered, and returned with their second national championship in the past three years.

“When they made the announcement that we had won I was overcome with all sorts of emotions,” the senior admitted. “I was upset that it was my last time competing for UMass, but also very excited that I could walk away from UMass with another national title.”

Like a true captain, Hassett did not panic after the squad came in second place after the first day of competition.

“When we finished our performance on Friday, we were not really sure what was going to happen. [UMD Head Coach] Scott [Bouchard] and I told the team that by whatever happens we were proud of them, we hit it and that was all we could of done.”

Hassett was actually quite confident in her team’s opening day performance. “Being in second place after the first day I think put us in a good spot. We knew what we did wrong and what we had to do to fix it. Being in second just made us work harder and want it that much more.”

In fact, she was so confident in her team’s Sunday performance (and Slippery Rock’s slip-ups), that she knew the outcome before it was announced.

“After watching their routine and seeing the touch-outs in tumbling and stunts coming down, we knew we had it.”

While many people would probably wilt under the pressure that comes with leading such a winning group of girls, Hassett never let it get to her. Of course, it helped that she was leading such a calm group of performers and had a wise coach by her side.

“We did not really feel any added pressure because our program always does well when we go down there. Scott does well at keeping us calm and letting us know whatever happens, happens.”

Dealing with pressure wasn’t the only problem Hassett faced during the competition. She had the difficult task of keeping the squad focused, knowing they were missing a few days of classes to stay in sunny Florida.

“Florida can be a very distracting place. The girls know before we get there that there is no laying in the sun or swimming because we do not want our girls to get tired, sunburnt, or dehydrated because it could effect their performance. Cheerleading is our main priority; that is what we came down to Florida to do.”

So what’s next for Hassett? Well, more cheerleading, of course! She will be cheering for an all-star team called East Elite, also coached by Bouchard.

“Cheerleading is a huge part of my life and I will be doing it for a very long time until my body cannot handle it anymore,” she joked.

Despite the pressures and expectations which are associated with being a UMD cheerleading captain, Hassett enjoyed taking on all challenges and coming home with a national championship.

“Being able to be captain for such an amazing program was the best thing that could happen. It taught me so much about motivating and leading a team.”

Allie Feldman discusses victory

By Jeff Bogosian

When the UMass Dartmouth Cheerleading Team returned to UMD, after they won the National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, Allie Feldman, a junior on the team, agreed to answer a few questions for The Torch.

Jeff: How’s it feel to be national champions again?

Allie: Phenomenal, unreal, I don’t really know what else to say.

Jeff: You girls were in second after the first day of competition; what was the attitude of the team after that day?

Allie: We were a little bummed out at first, but it was expected because we had a couple minor mistakes. But Scott [Bouchard, our coach] reminded us that it’s harder to stay in first both days because there is so much pressure and that as long as we did the same thing as prelims, with the few corrections, that we would be fine, so the coaches were a huge part of keeping our spirits up.

Jeff: What adjustments did you girls make after the first day?

Allie: No we did not change anything…that is the big mistake that a lot of teams make — trying to alter their routine between prelims and finals, because then they are not as confident with the new changes and have more of a chance of messing up.

Jeff: Once you had finished your routine the second day, were you girls confident that you still had a shot at the title?

Allie: Absolutely. We knew from seeing the teams at prelims that Slippery Rock was our main competition and we had a high score from our 45 second routine which is added into the scores of finals, so that helps boost our score as well. We knew we hit our routine better than ever before. Then we just had to stand back, watch Slippery Rock, and hope for the best.

Jeff: What was it like waiting for Slippery Rock to perform, knowing that they were the only team left that could take the top spot from you?

Allie: It is the most suspenseful feeling ever. We were all just standing there, unable to breathe, praying they wouldn’t hit as well as we did.

Jeff: What went through your head when the score for Slippery Rock came up and you girls were still in first?

Allie: Well that was it… They were the last team to go and we beat them. We went absolutely insane with excitement.

Jeff: After winning the title, what was the next day in Florida like?

Allie: Amazing! We had accomplished what we came there for and I’m pretty sure we were the happiest people in Daytona. We took team pictures on the beach and then just enjoyed the perfect weather and being national champs.

Jeff: What was the plane ride home like knowing that you were going back to school as national champions? Did that massive trophy get its own seat?

Allie: Hahah, no. They had to disassemble it because it is so huge! But it was so great going home knowing that we had something to be so proud of… Holding two national titles in three years is an outstanding accomplishment and we’re hoping to get recognized more by the school now. But we definitely spent the plane ride home sleeping. Haha.

Jeff: How does this championship compare to the first one you won?

Allie: No matter what, it is the greatest feeling ever… But being able to take back the national title makes that feeling a thousand times better!

Golf is first at Hampton Inn Collegiate Invitational

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s men’s golf team won their home tournament Sunday, shooting a shot a team score of 318 and finishing two strokes ahead of second-place Nichols at the 18-hole, 14-team Hampton Inn Collegiate Invitational, at the Allendale Country Club Sunday. The tournament was shortened to 18 holes after the first day of action Saturday was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Following the Corsairs and the Bison were Babson and Johnson & Wales, at 321, Salem State, 324, Trinity at 326, Tufts and Worcester State at 329, Rhode Island College at 335, MIT at 351, the UMass Dartmouth Blue team at 353, Becker at 367, Elms at 369 and Wentworth at 370. Neil Daigneault of Elms was the medalist with a score of 72.

For the Corsairs, junior Marc Francis shot a 73 and finished second, senior Tyler Kett shot an 76 and finished fourth, junior John Ripp shot an 82 and tied for 22nd, senior Andrew Jacobs shot an 87 and tied for 46th, and junior Jordan Ungvarsky shot a 93 and finished 55th. The UMass Dartmouth Blue team included freshman Dan DeSantis, who shot an 84 and tied for 29th, freshman Scott Woodacre, who shot an 89 and finished 49th, and senior Robbie Marsters and freshman Garrett Walsh, each of whom shot 90 and tied for 50th.

“It’s always nice to win your home tournament,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Joel Baptista. “Having the home course advantage, I thought our score might be a little lower, but I was very pleased with the performances of Marc Francis, who had a chance to be the medalist up to the final hole, as well as Tyler Kett and John Ripp. Dan DeSantis had a decent round, although he had one bad hole that blew up his score.”

Baptista liked the fact that he was able to see nine of his players in action. “It was good to have two teams out there,” said Baptista. “Golf games are like snowflakes, no two players’ games are alike. With the Blue team, we got to see a little bit of the future. Hats off to Allendale for hosting a great tournament, and thanks to the Hampton Inn for helping out with the sponsorship.”

Track places third at UMD Invitational

Corsair runners lead the pack at the Saturday, April 12, UMass Dartmouth Invitational.

A UMD runner sprints towards the finish line.

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s track and field team turned in several fine performances before Mother Nature intervened at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, at the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Complex Saturday.

The men scored 39 points and finished third in the eight team field, while the women were also third of eight teams with 51 points. Salem State finished first in the women’s standing with 64 points, while Massachusetts Maritime stood first in the men’s standing with 65.5 points when the meet was halted due to inclement weather.

For the women, freshman Briley Morrill was second in the trials of the 100 meter dash in 13.54 seconds, senior Leanne Nygaard was first at 1500 meters in 5:05.30, and the 4 x 100 meter relay team of freshman Linee Mello-Frost, sophomore Courtney Bradley, Stephanie Dinardis and Morrill was second in 54.68 seconds. Morrill won the triple jump at 29 feet, eight inches, while freshman Jermai Harrison won the shot put with a toss of 35 feet, four inches.

For the men, senior Eric Holmes won the 3000 meter steeplechase in 9:50.55, while freshman Marcus Williams was first in the long jump at 20 feet, four inches.

“We had some good performances, but we had to stop the meet halfway through it due to the weather, and we didn’t get to run a lot of our better events,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Jon Hird. “Briley Morrill was second in the trials of the 100 meter dash in the fastest time she’s run all year, Leanne Nygaard won the 1500 in a race in which no one was near her, the 4 x 100 meter relay team ran their best time of the year, and Linee in the triple jump and Jermai Harrison in the shot won their events. Eric Holmes won the steeplechase, and Marcus Williams won the long jump with his best jump of the year. What we did, we did well. Our team was pointing to our home meet to do well, but not everybody got to perform. We’ll have to go out and get ready for our meet next week at Connecticut College.”

The Corsairs will return to action when they visit Connecticut College next Saturday.

Corsair student-athletes earn Little East Conference academic honors

PROVIDENCE, RI — The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth placed 25 student-athletes on the inaugural Little East Conference All-Academic Team.

The team includes student-athletes who competed on teams last fall, and were sophomores or better with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better. The team included student-athletes in the fall sports sponsored by the LEC: field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.

“We’re very proud of the academic performance of our student-athletes,” said UMass Dartmouth Director of Athletics Ian Day. “To have UMass Dartmouth be represented by this many students is outstanding.”

Corsair tennis falls to JWU

By Benjamin Brown

The UMD men’s tennis team was unable to pull out a victory against Johnson and Wales this past Thursday despite a fierce battle that pushed the match into evening hours. A ball drop here or there might have made all the difference during the close match-up on Thursday, but ultimately the JWU Wildcats were able to maintain a hard fought lead over the UMD Corsairs before ultimately winning 8 of 9 matches.

Tensions ran high, though, as freshman Andrew Zappala (UMD) noted the necessity for line judges after his opponent Stefano Kafati seemed to be making questionable calls. Kenny Sims, sophomore playing third singles for UMD, immediately called for line judges following a shady call made by John Bauernfeind. Tensions began to run high as Sims and Bauernfeind were forced into a third set. Despite having suffered a concussion just a few days before the match, Sims valiantly battled John Bauernfeind without relent. The intense duel finally drew to a close as Bauernfeind took the third set, ending the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

The only victory of the night came from the first doubles team of Christoph Forster and Sims, who took their match 8-6. Ultimately, it was not enough to take the day as UMD was defeated 8-1, dropping their overall record to 1-4. The event was a non-conference matchup.

PROFESSOR TORCH

Celtics ready to finally end championship drought

By Adam K. Ellis

On the eve of what should be some of the most exciting NBA Playoff Basketball in many years, only one clear cut favorite exists: your Boston Celtics. And although your Professor had carved out an unfortunate Easter Conference finals demise in late November, he may have to revisit that thought this April.

Western Pretenders

Houston: Watching them roll off 22 in a row was enjoyable, but anyone who knows better knew they were done when they lost Yao Ming for the season. — First Round Exit

Denver and Golden State: As fun as these teams are to watch light up the scoreboard, neither has emphasized defense all season long. Whichever one of these teams grabs the eight and final playoff spot will be quickly shown the door. — First Round Exit

Dallas: You have to wonder what would have happened if the Mavs had beaten Miami in the 2006 Finals. But two years later this team is older, slower, and breaking down at the worst possible time of the season. All that money and Mark Cuban still can’t produce a winner. Perhaps Donald Trump was right when he claimed Cuban “wasn’t a winner”. —First Round Exit

Phoenix: When the Suns dealt Shawn Marion, they essentially gave into the belief that after years of falling short, they couldn’t win a title playing run-and-gun. So they went out and got a four-time NBA champion as well as the best center that has ever played the game.

But as much as Shaq fans want to believe that the Suns have an outside shot of making a run, the truth of the matter is they don’t. With Shaq, they don’t play defense well enough to advance. Teams have quickly found the solution to beating the Suns: pick-and-roll O’Neal to death. At the age of 35, O’Neal’s slow feet and poor defense are a liability to a defense that wasn’t particularly good before the trade. And without Marion, the Suns no longer have that defensive ace that is capable of covering all five positions on the court. —First Round Exit

Eastern Pretenders

Atlanta: Those poor Atlanta sports fans. You have to feel bad for them. They go through the Mike Vick collapse and a decrepit Falcons season, as well as their Thrashers who missed the playoffs once again and have only made the playoffs once in their five-year existence to the tune of a 4-0 sweep. And now the Hawks finally breathe life into the city by grabbing the last seed with a young athletic Hawks squad, only to face a team on a torrid record-breaking pace, the Boston Celtics. — Celtics sweep

Toronto and Philadelphia: They resemble Atlanta in the fact that they are very young and are still a few seasons/pieces away from making any noise. Toronto will have a tough time matching up to either probable match-up, Detroit or Orlando. Philly has the potential to steal a few games in the first round, but don’t expect much from either squad. — First Round Exits

Washington: They’d be better off if they dropped a few games near the end of the year so they could avoid getting whooped on by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third straight season. Sadly, we are most likely witnessing the last of Gilbert Arenas’ days as a Wizard. — 1st round departure

Orlando: This may be the most puzzling team of all 16 to reach the playoffs. On paper, they look like a team that could possibly advance far in the playoffs: Great shooting, big inside presence, clutch theatrics. But on the court, they lack the two most crucial playoff ingredients for success: leadership and defense. —Detroit or Washington takes them in 6

Close But No Cigar

Cleveland: I don’t think it’s wise to ever tell a team with Lebron James you won’t advance to the NBA Finals. And being the reigning Eastern Conference Champs, you’d think they would get more respect.

But a year is a lengthy period of time, and a lot has changed. The East is no longer winnable with the play of just one player. Detroit and Boston play defense well enough where players like Joe Smith, Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Anderson Varejao must have big series if the Cavs are to have a chance of competing.

Health is also an issue as centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace have been aching for a bulk of the season. For the Cavs to recreate their magic run of 07, many things are going to have to go right. — 2nd round loss to the C’s

Utah: The West’s improved version of Orlando: Solid depth, great interior presence, and top-five NBA point guard. But they don’t have that player who gets the ball when the game is on the line, nor do they play great defense as they allow opponents to score 100 points per game on 46% shooting. This team has the potential to reach the Western Conference Finals if New Orleans stays as the one seed, as they would beat Houston and are capable of beating the Hornets. — Western Conference Finals loss to Spurs

New Orleans: The Hornets will only go as far as their shooting takes them. The Hornets are 40-2 when they score over 100 points and they are capable of putting up 100+ every night with ballplayers like Chris Paul, Morris Peterson, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic and David West. Each player could drop 30+ on any given night. They have led the Western Conference for the majority of the season. And yet, New Orleans isn’t the favorite due to their lack of playoff experience. — Upset in 2nd round

The True Contenders

Detroit Pistons: In the East, only two teams are worthy of a chance at playing for the title (sorry Lebron). And earlier in the season, I was quick to crown the Pistons as the East representative in the Finals. But anyone who watched the last two Celtics-Pistons contests couldn’t help but notice the drastic differences between both teams.

The Pistons have the look of an aging squad and although the Celtics aren’t much younger, they are hungrier. Sheed, Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Co. have put on far too many miles on their odometers in the past few years, reaching at least the Conference Finals for the past four years. And they’ll be there again due to a favorable schedule that matches them up two teams that the Pistons style meshes well with: Toronto and Orlando. — Eastern Conf. Finals Loss

L.A. Lakers: In New England, we alllllll want to see an L.A/Boston Finals. Better yet, both squads have what it takes to make it. And with Kobe Bryant carrying the Lakers, you can be sure they know who has the rock when the game weighs in the balance.

A big concern for L.A will be whether or not they will have to catch center Andrew Bynum up to speed during the playoffs. Nevertheless, with the addition of Pau Gasol the Lakers are solid at every position except point guard (Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar). Their truest test will be whether they can mask that deficiency and handle the challenges a conference loaded with point guard studs (Nash, Paul, Parker, Williams) will bring. — Upset in 2nd round.

San Antonio Spurs: Three weeks ago the media had left this aging veteran team for dead, calling for the end of their dynasty. But after reeling off 9 of their last 10, the Spurs are only 1.5 games back of New Orleans for the one seed in the West. You know the faces: Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Finley and Co. Same squad with the addition of a few new role players. And if the matchups hold true to form, the Spurs biggest challenge should come in the second round in the form of the Lakers. — Finals runner-up

Boston Celtics: Okay, Okay. I admit. I was wrong. Earlier in the season I said that the Celtics would lose due to a lack of depth on the bench and the inability of Rondo to hang with some of the league’s best point guards.

Flash forward a couple months: the C’s bench has come along with the improved play of Leon Powe, Glen Davis, and Eddie House, and Rajon Rondo has slowly emerged to become one of the league’s brightest young point guards. Add to the cause a couple of handy, savvy veterans like P.J Brown and Sam Cassell and the Celtics are as deep a team as you will find in the playoffs. —NBA Champions in six

MMA

Making the dream a reality

By Timm Freitas

After a long two years of watching Fedor Emilianenko fight subpar opponents, it seems that MMA fans will get their wish when the famed heavyweight and former Pride FC heavyweight Champ steps into the ring with former UFC champ Tim Sylvia in July.

The deal, which will match the two top-ten ranked fighters, has yet to be completed, but it is said that there are only minor details for management to work out. The only reason why such a bout is now possible is because earlier this month Sylvia and his manager Monte Cox asked the UFC to be released from his contract to the organization.

And, as is the growing trend, the UFC obliged. Since then, Sylvia has signed with the new Adrenaline MMA organization and is not fighting a no-name opponent like expected, but rather he gets to deal with Emilianenko.

It seems that the fight is all but reality right now, but the main question surrounding the fight revolves around which organization will be promoting the fight. All that is known about this issue is that the fight will be shown on Pay-Per-View HDNET fights, owned by sports businessman legend Mark Cuban.

It is exciting to see some great matches finally being shown outside the UFC. In fact, this fight could have a huge positive impact for the rising MMA organization which promotes it.

The only problem with new organizations holding more quality events is that it puts a huge damper on the fan that has to pay around forty bucks to see it.

Women’s lacrosse falls in overtime at Southern Maine

GORHAM, ME  —  Junior Caitlin Albert scored the game-winning goal with 49.4 seconds left in the first sudden death overtime period to give the University of Southern Maine Huskies a 10-9 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs in a Little East Conference women’s lacrosse match Saturday at Hodgdon Field in Gorham.      

The win was the second straight, and fourth in the last five games, for the Huskies, who improve to 4-6 overall and 3-1 in the conference.  The Corsairs dropped their second straight to fall to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference.     

 Albert got the ball behind the UMD cage, swung around from the right and slipped a shot past senior goalie Erin Doherty for the game winner.      

 Each team scored during the first six-minute overtime period before moving into sudden death.  Senior Justene Dorr found the net on a free-position shot to give USM a 9-8 lead. Sophomore Allison Trearchis equalized for UMass Dartmouth on a free-position attempt with 50.9 seconds left in the period.    

The Huskies rallied from two goals down in the final five minutes of regulation to force the game into extra time.  Freshman Mary Vaughan cut the Corsair lead to 8-7 with 3:12 to play, and Albert scored the tying goal with 18.2 seconds remaining in regulation.     

 Trailing 6-3 in the second half, UMass Dartmouth ran off five straight goals to assume an 8-6 lead.  Senior Susie Nearhoof got the first goal with 21:21 left.  Trearchis and senior Marie Spang found the net 14 seconds apart (12:30 and 12:16) to tie the game at 6-6.  Trearchis gave the Corsairs their first lead of the game on a free-position shot with 10:40 remaining, and Nearhoof scored with 5:02 to go to make it 8-6.   

 Dorr led USM with three goals.  Vaughan, Albert and freshman Kristy Kendrick each had two goals.  Senior goalie Katie Quartuccio made 13 saves.    

  Trearchis had a game-high four goals to lead the Corsairs.  Nearhoof had two goals and two assists while Spang netted two goals.  Doherty also was credited with 13 saves.      

  Southern Maine is back in action on Monday (4 p.m.) when Bates College visits Hodgdon Field.  UMD is off until Thursday (4 p.m.) when it hosts Fitchburg State College.

Forget the jersey: Yankees now buried beneath Red Sox in their rivalry

By Trevor Medeiros      

  So, the New York Yankees (with the help of a couple of loyal construction workers) were able to put a stop to a possible curse that might have had Ruth-like consequences on the Bronx Bombers.      

  In case you’ve been living under a rock over the past few days, construction worker- and Red Sox fan- Gino Castignoli’s attempts to curse the new Yankee Stadium were foiled, as the Yankees excavated a David Ortiz jersey he planted beneath two feet on concrete. Castignoli was trying to return the favor to the Evil Empire by putting NY under a curse similar to the one the Bambino started when he was shipped to the Bronx many moons ago.      

  Not only did Yankee brass brag that they valiantly stopped a potential curse in its tracks, they’re even considering pressing criminal charges against Castignoli. To say that’s ridiculous would be an obvious understatement.      

  Of course, some smug UMD Yankee fan from Albany or western Connecticut will probably argue that the Sox would have done the same thing if someone buried a Derek Jeter jersey deep into the foundation of a new Fenway Park.      

  My answer to that would be an astounding yes. Only I’m talking about the BoSox before they won it all back in 2004. Of course, those were the Red Sox teams that were enamored with losing and misery; a team that was on the bottom of the most intense rivalry in all of sports; a team that would sit on the sidelines and watch Jeter and company win title after title, while they were too concerned with head-butting umpires, cursing Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone, and blaming Bill Buckner.      

  Sure, when the Sox finally killed the big, bad Bambino once and for all, some Yankee fans felt it was a lucky championship (even though there’s nothing lucky about suffering the greatest collapse in baseball history). But then, something funny happened on the way to a 28th Yankee crown.      

  The Sox actually won their second World Series in sweeping fashion last fall, making it two titles in four years. And in case you aren’t keeping track, that’s two titles for Manny and none for A-Fraud this century. So much for a fluke.      

  No, this version of the Sox is on the verge of becoming baseball’s next dynasty. With a hip, enthusiastic ownership, and a young, cunning general manager, the Sox have built the model MLB franchise through globalization, renovating Fenway, and restocking the farm system with young studs. And the Yankees are the ones who are now playing catch-up.      

  The Yanks have taken a page out of Theo Epstein’s book of success by trying to get younger through the draft, only to see Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury dominate last October and Clay Buchholz throw a no-hitter, while Joba Chamberlin couldn’t keep the bedbugs from biting in the ALDS (all ribbing aside, we’re all praying for your father, Joba).      

  Yes, it used to be the Sox and good ol’ Dan Duquette who would wrongly spend money on washed up hitters (do Carl Everett and Jose Awfulman ring a bell?), while the Yankees won four titles in the ‘90s behind the arms of David Cone, Andy Pettite, Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens (steroids and all).      

  Now, it’s Brian Cashman who’s throwing tons of dough at has-beens like Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi, while our hometown nine boast the deepest starting rotation in the game. And while some native New Yorkers won’t like to admit it, it’s become really clear that the Sox have taken complete control in the 21st century version of this baseball drama.      

  So I guess I can’t blame Steinbrenner and Levine when they spend $50,000 to dig up a jersey, and then childlishly threaten to have a harmless construction worker sent to Guantanamo Bay. After all, they were stupid enough to give $30 million a year to A-Fraud instead of actually spending money on someone who would help them win (Johan Santana).      

  It’s obviously a move that reeks of desperation from a team desperate to recapture its glory days; a team desperate to slow the advancement from the army known as Red Sox Nation; a team desperate to get back to the summit of the baseball mountain, a place its northeast counterpart threw them off of just four years ago.      

  Sure, David Ortiz’s shirt won’t be buried beneath the bowels of the new Bronx zoo. But the Yankees can’t deny the fact that they’re now buried under their most bitter rival, and will be for years to come.

Men’s lacrosse team doubles up Southern Maine      

  NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s men’s lacrosse team took a 5-1 first quarter lead and went on to defeat visiting Southern Maine, 14-7, in a Little East Conference game at rainy Cressy Field Saturday afternoon.      

  Sophomore attackman Andrew Foster scored twice in the first quarter for the Corsairs. His first goal, with UMass Dartmouth enjoying a man advantage, came at 11:19, and he scored with 6:40 left in the quarter to make it 4-1. Junior defenseman Tarek Donnelly and junior attackman Matt Leary also scored first-period goals for UMass Dartmouth. Freshman midfielder Josh Arsenault and sophomore midfielder Pat Kohout scored for the Corsairs in the second quarter. Junior attackman Preston Gilbert scored for the Huskies, and assisted on a goal by sophomore attackman Alex Pleau. Each team scored four times in the third quarter, but Kohout, Leary and Foster scored in the fourth quarter to give UMass Dartmouth a 14-6 advantage with 4:21 remaining.      

  Foster led the Corsair attack with three goals and two assists, Arsenault, Kohout and Leary each scored twice, and freshman attackman Tim Walsh scored once and added four assists. Gilbert finished with five goals and two assists for the Huskies, while Pleau scored twice.      

  "We played well,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Kevin Mahoney. “We played offense and defense for all four quarters. We made a few mistakes, and we have a few things to work on. Our players are doing a better job of picking up our offense, and we hope to keep improving.”      

  The Corsairs out shot Southern Maine, 42-34, and scored on all three of their man-up opportunities while allowing USM to score on one of five chances. Senior goalkeeper Steve Chase made 10 saves for UMass Dartmouth, while James Suriyodorn made 13 saves for the Huskies.      

  UMass Dartmouth improved to 8-2 and 2-2 in the Little East Conference with the victory, while Southern Maine fell to 2-8 and 0-4 with the defeat.