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Soccer star dies in crash by Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff
Santos, an honor student from Ludlow High School, was the leading scorer on the soccer squad as a first-year student last season. She would have been a sophomore in Arts and Science this fall. The driver of the car, Michelle Mateus, 20, had been a high school classmate of Santos. A nearly empty wine bottle and an empty 12-oz. beer bottle were found in the vehicle at the crash site, and Mateus faces half a dozen charges, including vehicular homicide. The accident is being investigated by the State Police. Although none of the women was wearing a seatbelt, Mateus was listed in fair condition at Bay State Hospital following the accident, and a third passenger, Kara Williamson, 18, also of Ludlow, who was riding in the back seat, was unharmed. Santos was in the front passenger seat. Santos led her teammates in scoring last season with seven goals and five assists. Women's soccer head coach Jim Rudy, who described her as "a coach's dream," spent Sunday calling around the country to notify Santos' teammates of her death. Rudy said both the players and their parents were devastated by the news. An outstanding athlete at Ludlow High School, she scored 28 goals and had 26 assists during her soccer career there, leading the team to the 1999 state championship. A varsity starter all four years, she was an all-New England player in 2001. She lettered in track and basketball, as well. After her first
season at UMass, she was named Atlantic 10 Division I Rookie of
the Year, and she played summer soccer for the Lusitano F.C. Maple
Team in Ludlow. She leaves her parents, John and Leonilde Santos of Ludlow; a brother, Robert of Granby; her paternal and maternal grandparents, all of Portugal; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. |
