The Massachusetts women’s soccer team kept its playoff hopes alive and moved back into the top eight in the Atlantic 10 following a draw and a victory at Rudd Field this weekend.
After a hard-fought tie with Charlotte on Friday, the Minutewomen dominated George Washington on Sunday afternoon, and celebrated their annual Senior Day with a season-high four goals in a one-sided 4-0 victory.
It was the last game at Rudd Field for three seniors as defender Jess Howe and goalkeepers Stephanie Gordon and Emily Cota said goodbye to their home pitch. The Minutewomen grabbed their third conference victory of the season, which placed them in a tie with Richmond for seventh place in the conference.
“It was a good weekend for us to get four points,” UMass coach Ed Matz said. “It’s good that now we control our own destiny. If we take care of business next weekend, then we don’t have to rely on other teams losing and that’s a good feeling.”
UMass controlled the offensive pace of the game, and outshot GW, 12-5, They attacked freshman goalkeeper Nicole Fasano with eight shots on net.
The Minutewomen continuously found ways to keep the ball in GW’s zone, as they earned a total of nine corners kicks compared to none for the Colonials.
The first goal came in the 22nd minute, when leading goal-scorer Moa Mattsson made a stellar back heel pass across the box to Tori Sousa, who ripped a shot off of Fasano’s gloves. Freshman Jackie Bruno was left with a clean shot off of the rebound.
The Minutewomen did the rest of the damage in the second half, creating several quality attempts on goal. Of UMass’ six shots, three found the back of the net.
Two of the goals came of the right foot of sophomore midfielder Alyssa D’Arcy, including one less than a minute into the second half on a laser from just outside the box.
“Really we were just playing for the seniors,” D’Arcy said. “That was our main goal, to just get a win for them.”
Mattsson had another outstanding performance on Sunday, scoring her ninth goal of the season along with her two assists. She cashed in on a penalty kick that was given to the Minutewomen in the 53rd minute as a result of Tori Sousa getting fouled in the box on an easy scoring opportunity.
Matz thought the confidence began in the previous match against Charlotte.
“The kids came back to even up that game 1-1. To us that meant a lot … that we can come back and play well and I think that carried over to today,” said Matc.
Minutewomen grab tie with 49ers
Trailing the entire game, the Minutewomen battled back in the final minutes of the match against Charlotte on Friday to steal a 1-1 tie at Rudd Field.
Less than two minutes into the game, the 49ers secured an early lead when Jennifer Lee dribbled past a couple of UMass defenders and ripped a shot that landed in the right side of the net.
Charlotte controlled the game as they outshot the Minutewomen, 25-10, eight of which were on goal. Emily Cota held her own in goal for UMass with seven saves.,
UMass’ chance came in the 88th minute when junior defender Grace Coombs was granted a free kick opportunity on a crucial tackle foul by the 49ers.
Coombs took advantage of Charlotte’s defensive miscue, and fired a shot from 18 yards out into the top right-corner of the goal past goalkeeper Alex Kubrick to secure the tie.
The Minutewomen now control their own destiny heading into the last two games of the season. They hit the road for games at St. Bonaventure and Duquesne on Friday and Saturday, respectively, as they try to secure a playoff spot.
Chris Corso can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Corso.
