When the Massachusetts women’s soccer came back to Amherst for a five-game homestand two weeks ago, it knew that it needed to come away with more wins than losses over the stretch if they were to stay in post-season competition.

But to keep up with the pack, they were going to have to play incredible ball against some stiff competition.

The Minutewomen (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic 10) did just that, splitting the final two games of their home stretch this weekend against two A-10 powerhouses in Richmond and George Washington. Now they have some momentum on their side as they hurdle through the second leg of the A-10 season.

To kick off the weekend, UMass hosted a defensively-sound Richmond squad that was physically larger than life. Fighting against a roster with an average height of 5’7″, the Minutewomen were going to have to play big. And they did – or, at least, for the first 45 minutes of play.

After playing even ball through the first half, the Spiders (5-5-1, 3-2 A-10) finally broke through with a goal early in the second, and would nurse that lead right up to the end to seal a 1-0 downing of UMass.

The Minutewoman defense wasn’t just undersized, however. They were also playing without junior Amy Maffucci, one of the more vocal defenders for the Maroon and White, due to a knee injury.

“She’s a talker, a big organizer,” sophomore Nadia Villaroel said of Maffucci’s absence. “I think everybody had to talk a whole lot more and organize better, not just rely on her. I think we did that really well.”

“There wasn’t anything we really couldn’t handle,” freshman Kaelyn Caldwell said of defending the Spiders. “The goal they scored was unlucky, somehow it didn’t get hacked back out. But, I think it was a close game for the most part.”

The likes of Caldwell, Villaroel and Stephanie Barrett were able to keep a clamp on the brute Richmond attack in the first half.

The only real surge of offense came midway through the first half, when a series of one-touch passes allowed Lindsey “Stormy” Fairweather and Lindsey Bellini to get off several shots that went wide.

Just ten shots between the two teams were taken heading into the second, but that all changed when the wall of the UMass defense was delivered a hole.

Ten minutes in, Megan Ogilvie took a nice feed from Whitney Sikes and rolled a shot that slipped by a diving Kristin Walker and plopped safely into the bottom left corner of the net. The goal put the Spiders ahead 1-0.

Ultimately, it was a 1-0 deficit the Minutewomen could not recover from, due to the fact that they were on the defensive for most of the game.

Canfield had one last chance to tie it up, a breakaway with 30 seconds to go. However, the chance was nullified by a crucial penalty against UMass.

On Sunday, the Minutewomen turned the tables and delivered a shutout of their own, their first since October of 2002. That is, a 2-0 defeat of the George Washington Colonials to wrap up the homestand.

While the affair with Richmond was more of a physical game, Sunday’s match with the Colonials boiled down to strategy, not force.

“We definitely dominated [this] game, and it’s a win we deserve to win,” Bellini said. “You can play well and lose, and you can also play shitty and win. We actually played well and won, so that’s good.”

Maffucci’s return to action made a world of a difference for the Minutewomen, as a more tightly wound defense allowed the Maroon and White to take 20 shots, their highest single game total in 2004.

“That was very big,” Walker said of Maffucci’s return to the lineup. “She’s like the voice of our defense, in every aspect. She controls it, keeps everyone in it. If something goes wrong, she keeps everyone’s spirits up … very big to have her back.”

The defense allowed Walker to receive her first shutout of her career, a huge relief having witnessed several heartbreakers fall through her grasp in 2004.

“This is like a turnaround for this team,” Walker added. “Everyone pressured today, and everyone’s happy with the result. It feels good.”

The Minutewomen first found the back of the net at the 18mminute mark in the first half. Fairweather flipped the ball up to a waiting Adair Blyler on the right side, and in turn she flicked her shot right over the head of goalie Anna Handzlik to make it a 1-0 affair.

It was the first time in four years that the Minutewomen had registered a goal against the Colonials, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

With 15 minutes left in regulation, Canfield took advantage of some heavy GW pressure and scripted a beautiful counterattack. This one was a one woman show, however, as she took the ball near her own 18 yard box and streaked down the far sideline untouched. With a thrust of the leg, she booted one at Handzlik, and ball ricocheted off her hands into the net. Handzlik left the game 15 seconds later with a hand injury.

The Minutewomen came away from the homestand with three wins and two losses, and have tied their win total from a year ago with six games to go.