Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/11/12
From Press Release
The Atlantic 10 announced Friday that Massachusetts women’s lacrosse was the unanimous choice to finish first in the 2012 A-10 season as voted by a poll of the league’s head coaches.
The Minutewomen, who won their fourth Atlantic 10 championship last April, garnered eight first place votes for a point total of 64. Ranked as high as 13th, UMass defeated Richmond in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and then defeated Canisius in the NCAA play-in game to advance to the NCAA First Round. Massachusetts finished the season with a loss to Loyola in the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 17-3. The Minutewomen were a perfect 7-0 in A-10 play and won their third straight conference title.
Richmond, the 2011 regular season and championship runner-up, was picked to finish second in 2012 with 54 points. The Spiders were 6-1 in league play last season, the only loss coming against UMass. Overall Richmond was 10-9. Temple, received 44 points and was picked to finish third in 2012. The Owls were 5-2 in the Atlantic 10 last year.
Duquesne was picked fourth in the 2012 poll with 42 total points, followed by George Washington (30 points), La Salle (24), Saint Joseph’s (17) and St. Bonaventure (14).
Massachusetts and George Washington begin the 2012 season with a pair of home matches Wednesday, Feb. 15. The 2012 Atlantic 10 Lacrosse Championship will be played at Richmond’s Robins Stadium, April 27-29.
2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll
1. Massachusetts (8) – 64
2. Richmond – 54
3. Temple – 44
4. Duquesne – 42
5. George Washington – 30
6. La Salle – 24
7. Saint Joseph’s – 17
8. St. Bonaventure – 14
