The Massachusetts field hockey team defeated Boston University on Sunday to bring its record to .500 for the first time since the start of the season.
UMass (8-8, 5-1 Atlantic 10) drew a crucial penalty corner in the 81st minute that set up a pass from Melanie Kreusch to senior captain Lauren Allymohamed for the game-winning score.
After starting the season 2-7, the Minutewomen have now won six of their last seven games with only three games left in the regular season.
“(This win) meant a lot to us,” Allymohamed said. “To win this game meant a lot to everyone’s morale and confidence.”
Kreusch continued her strong play this season with a first-half goal and the assist that led to the game-winning goal. The freshman now has a team-leading seven goals for the season to go along with three assists.
“To come in as a freshman and play the minutes she plays and starts is pretty impressive,” UMass coach Carla Tagliente said. “She is not just a role player, she is a critical player on this team.”
With 8:36 left in the first half, Kreusch received a pass from Hailey Cockrum that she shot past Terriers’ (8-7) goalie Valentina Cerda to give UMass a 1-0 lead at the half.
“Overall I have been happy with the way we have played the past few games,” Tagliente said. “The group came together and did well.”
The Minutewomen’s lead was eliminated in the second half when the Terriers were awarded a penalty stroke in the 44th minute. Amanda Cassera then beat UMass goalie Sam Carlino to the high right corner to make it 1-1.
In the scramble in front of the net that led to the penalty call, Allymohamed took an errant stick to the face, resulting in a cut to her chin. She had to come out for a period of time to get checked.
Once she returned, the game turned the Minutewomen’s way.
“(Allymohamed) leads by example and goes all out,” Tagliente said. “She is brave and a great competitor and she showed that today.”
After the 70 minutes of regulation ended with an even score, overtime was marked by back-and-forth possessions between UMass and BU with no offensive success.
UMass created havoc in the circle in the 11th minute of extra time and were awarded the penalty that resulted in the game-winning goal.
“We have been chasing .500 for a while,” Tagliente said. “It has been a slow comeback to .500 but we are playing much better hockey.”
The Minutewomen look to continue their strong play when they travel to Philadelphia to take on A-10 rival La Salle. The Explorers (8-6) are 5-0 at home and are on a two-game winning streak.
Despite this challenge, Allymohamed said she has confidence in her team and thinks UMass is peaking at the right time of the season.
“We are gaining a lot of confidence,” Allymohamed said. “We are playing really good hockey and we look forward to the next couple weeks.”
Tyler Fieldler can be reached at [email protected].
