For the sixth time this season, the Massachusetts women’s soccer team needed two overtimes to decide the outcome of tits game.

Although the Monday night game against Harvard ended in a 0-0 draw, the match proved to be one of the best games of the season for the Minutewomen (2-5-3) against an impressive Harvard team.

Since the critical part of their schedule is set to begin this Friday with the commencement of Atlantic 10 Conference play, UMass is hoping the momentum can propel them to a berth in the A-10 tournament.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way our team played today,” UMass coach Ed Matz said in a press release. “We came out against a very talented Harvard team and I was very pleased with how our players followed the game plan that we introduced this week. Some of our players picked today to play their best game of the season and it’s a very good performance for them heading into our A-10 schedule.”

Matz used the team’s 11-day break between scheduled games leading into the match to round out his roster in preparation for the start of the A-10 portion of their schedule. The game on Monday night provided Matz with the opportunity to rest some of his injured players and condition some of the younger members of the roster. One of the players who benefited most from this opportunity was freshman goalkeeper Cassidy Babin, who recorded her first collegiate shutout in her second start of the season for the Minutewomen.
Harvard (6-2-1) led UMass in shots 17-12 and corner kicks 6-0. Sophomore Margaret Purce, who recorded five shots, and junior Emily Mosbacher who supplemented the offense with four shots of her own, led the Crimson attack.

On the offensive side of the ball, sophomores Julie Weithofer and Daniela Alvarez led the UMass squad. Weithofer led the team with four shots, including one that was batted away in the 85th minute, while Alvarez recorded three shots of her own, including a ball that just sailed over the crossbar at the start of the second half.

They may not have 11 days to rest before they begin A-10 play this Friday, but the Minutewomen are hoping to carry momentum into Friday’s game against George Mason, which will take place at Rudd Field at 4 p.m.

Frank Corona can be reached at [email protected]