The Massachusetts field hockey team continued to roll on Friday with a 3-1 win over La Salle for its seventh win in the last eight games.
Sophomore Izzie Delario tallied two goals to help the Minutewomen (9-8, 6-1 Atlantic 10) defeat the Explorers (8-7, 4-3 A-10), who came in having won six of their last seven.
Delario recorded both goals in the second half. Her second score stood out as the most important play of the game as it came a minute after La Salle shrunk UMass’ lead to one goal.
“It was a clutch goal,” UMass coach Carla Tagliente said.
Renee Suter got the scoring started when she recorded her first goal of the season with 10 minutes left in the first half. The senior midfielder has started all 17 games for the Minutewomen this season and is one of the few holdovers from last year’s A-10 conference championship team.
Sophomores Gina Smith and Devin Muracco teamed up for the lone Explorer goal in the 66th minute. Smith deflected a shot from Muracco to beat UMass junior goalkeeper Sam Carlino.
Carlino tallied five saves for the game under limited pressure, while La Salle goalie Rachel Hartman faced 26 shots and totaled 12 saves in the loss.
The victory for the Minutewomen came in some unfamiliar conditions. DeVincent Field, the Explorers’ home field, features a Sprinturf field surface that is unlike the AstroTurf on Garber Field, as was noted by Tagliente after the game.
“We were a little concerned about this game because of the different playing surface,” she said. “It is different from all of the other fields we play on and it leads to unpredictable play at times.”
Friday’s victory marked Tagliente’s 50th career win at UMass.
The Minutewomen return home for their next game when they host Syracuse in the team’s final nonconference game next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Garber Field.
“We are excited about a nonconference game,” said Tagliente. “These games keep us on our toes and are a great measuring stick.”
Jamie Cushman can be reached at [email protected].