Feb. 26, 2008

Kathleen Typadis is in select company, a gifted scorer for the University of Massachusetts women's lacrosse team who is closing out an extraordinary career in Amherst this spring.

With a goal in Tuesday's season opener against Holy Cross, the former Medfield High three-sport stalwart extended her scoring streak to 42 consecutive games; her 132 career goals rank third nationally among returning Division 1 players.

"I don't think of statistics. I just try to go into each game with a clean slate," said Typadis, a senior attack who was one of 98 invited to the final tryouts for US Women's Lacrosse Developmental and Elite teams last August. She called the experience "super intense, because you're going against the top players in the nation."

Off the field, Typadis plays the guitar, and has formed a band, Agurro, with lacrosse friends Kristina Twichell and Julie Papaleo. "We have fun and make up songs about our team that we play on bus trips," said Typadis, whose fantasy career is to work as a movie stuntwoman.

John Sinnett, the college's associate director of media relations, said, "Watching her athleticism on the field, I wouldn't doubt she could do it."

Last spring, she set the single-season goal mark at UMass with 52, and she now stands 39 shy of the school's career record. And with 148 career points, she is 72 points away from that UMass mark.

"I've always been offensive minded in every sport I've played," said Typadis.

"I played soccer since kindergarten, but lacrosse grew on me and it became a passion. I love its fast pace and the fact that anything can happen in a short amount of time."

At Medfield, she was the first girls' lacrosse player to reach 100 career goals, thanks to her 77-goal explosion as a senior. A two-time All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection at UMass, she broke the single-season mark in the final game last season against La Salle, delivering her second consecutive five-goal performance.

"My teammates were setting me up all over the place. It was really awesome," said Typadis, who had a career-best six goals and seven points in a game last season against Albany.

"It was a great way to end our season and we gave Kath the game ball after she broke the record," said coach Alexis Venechanos, in her second year at the UMass helm; her assistants include a former Weston High standout, Angela McMahon.

With 10 of 12 starters returning, UMass was picked to finish second in the A-10 this year by the league's coaches.

Venechanos describes Typadis as "a game changer who is very unselfish. Her athleticism and knack for the ball, along with her great instincts and decision-making, give me the feeling that when she touches the ball, good things are going to happen. I think this year, with our added depth, teams will have less opportunity to double on her."

Some of that depth will be provided by some other local players, including junior attack Julie Pasquantonio of Plainville, a King Philip Regional grad who netted two goals against Holy Cross; sophomore twins Jillian and Katharine Liposky of Northborough and Algonquin Regional; and freshman midfielder Kelsey Schreiner of Sherborn and Dover-Sherborn High.

"Julie is a pure attacker and great feeder who is part of our offensive mix, Kelsey made a great impact last fall," said Venechanos, "and Jillian and Katharine give us good depth and are among the hardest workers on our team."