After its first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament since 2004, the Massachusetts women's soccer team hired its official replacement for ex-coach Jim Rudy with a coach familiar with winning on the other side of the commonwealth.

Despite winning a 2-1 overtime win at Richmond on Friday, wins by Rhode Island and Charlotte eliminated UMass from the playoff picture for the first time since 2006. Sunday, the Minutemen fell at George Washington by the score of 3-0.

After walking on to Sam Koch’s squad this summer, not knowing if he’d see the field, Morgan Brandso has worked his way onto the field and earned his first start on Sunday. Brandso has seen most of his time this year at midfield but got his first career start on defense.

After splitting a pair of games this past weekend, the UMass soccer team hits the road for the final stretch of its conference schedule this weekend against George Washington and Richmond in hopes of making the A-10 tournament.

The Atlantic 10 women’s soccer schedule needed every last game to determine who would be in or out in this year’s tournament. Headlining the field is Dayton, who enters the tournament unbeaten in thirty games dating back to last year.

On Sunday, it took two UMass shutout victories and a Duquesne upset over La Salle to give the Massachusetts women’s soccer team a playoff berth.

With the one-two punch of Therese Smith and Sydney Stoll carrying the offense all season, several players have stepped up to help propel the Massachusetts women’s soccer team into the playoffs.

Facing two must-win games to make the conference tournament, the Minutewomen came away with two 1-0 victories. Sydney Stoll and Lauren Yelinek provided the offense in each game and the defense did the rest to secure the wins.

After walking on to Sam Koch’s squad this summer, not knowing if he’d see the field, Morgan Brandso has worked his way onto the field and earned his first start on Sunday. Brandso has seen most of his time this year at midfield but got his first career start on defense.

Sam Denormandie’s late goal on Friday gave UMass a 2-1 win on Friday over Duquesne, but the offense could not muster a goal as UMass fell to St. Bonaventure, 1-0. The Minutemen now face two must0win games this weekend to make the A-10 Tournament.