The Massachusetts women’s soccer team started each half with a goal and soundly defeated St. Bonaventure on Thursday night by a score of 3-0.
Fueled by the offensive play of Jenny Hipp and Gabriela Kenyon in New York, UMass successfully bounced back from Sunday’s loss to Fordham.
Thursday’s win over the Bonnies (0-10-2, 0-2-1 A-10) also marked the Minutewomen’s (5-5-1, 2-1-0 Atlantic-10) second conference win of the season, after winning only a single conference match last season.
According to coach Ed Matz, surpassing last year’s mark through just three matches came as the result of “a lot of positives.”
“It’s good to get a win on the road obviously,” Matz said. “I don’t think we’ve had an A-10 win on the road in the last couple of years so that’s a good thing.”
Hipp got things started for UMass in just the second minute of action and put a shot on net that created a great opportunity. After securing the ball on the rebound, Kenyon found the back of the open net for her first of the season, putting the Minutewomen ahead 1-0.
According to Matz, Kenyon, who endured an early season injury, has just really started to come into her own this season.
“She’s a senior that wants to do really well and has been working really hard,” Matz said. “Sometimes when you’re really pressing and trying to score goals as a striker it plays on your mind, so I was glad to see her get the goal tonight.”
Just minutes later, Hipp was back on the attack. In the 11th minute, the freshman placed a low shot on the left side of the Bonnies’ goalkeeper, Lauren Malcolm, that managed to squeeze through to make it 2-0.
The tally comes as Hipp’s second of the season and doubled the UMass advantage.
Matz had high praise for the freshman forward after the game.
“[Hipp’s] just fun to watch. She’s a great kid and a great teammate but when she steps on the soccer fields she’s such a competitor,” Matz said. “Some of the things she can do with the ball is just amazing and she’s just such a good kid to have in our program. Hopefully she can continue to play strong down the stretch.”
UMass wasn’t done on the night after scoring its two first half goals, however, as the Minutewomen got a big contribution from another forward who’s heating up at just the right time of the season.
From a corner kick in the 46th minute, junior Erin Doster got a shot off through traffic that went low and to the left past Malcolm and found its way to the back of the net. Sarah Beaulieu got the assist on the tally that put the Minutewomen ahead 3-0.
Doster’s second half goal comes as her fifth on the season. She has scored a goal in each of the last three matches.
In net, it was a quiet night for UMass goalkeeper Cassidy Babin. Through 90 minutes of play the senior only had to make two saves to achieve the shutout.
UMass will be back in action on Sunday on the road once again as it travels to Richmond to take on Virginia Commonwealth
Kickoff for the match is set for 2 p.m.
Liam Flaherty can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @_LiamFlaherty.
