The Massachusetts field hockey team came out firing against Davidson on Friday evening, making its only game of the weekend count with an impressive 3-1 win over Davidson.
The Minutewomen (5-7, 2-2 Atlantic 10) had Davidson (2-11, 0-5 A-10) on its heels right from the start. In the first 15 minutes of play UMass put up six shots, matching Davidson’s total from the first three quarters.
At 3:28 Bella Ianni put one past Davidson keeper Sarah Zeszotarski for her third goal of the season. Katherine Furry joined the scoring soon after with what proved to be the decisive goal, putting UMass up 2-0 within 11 minutes. Assisted by Lucy Cooper, she put a spin move on her defender, broke free, and put the ball in the back of the net.
Cooper had a standout match, assisting on both of the early goals and later putting one in herself, her fourth of the 2019 season. Cooper has played well this season and stepped up in her role as captain.
“Lucy had a great weekend last week,” coach Barb Weinberg said. “She is playing with confidence and was able to generate momentum for us today.”
The Wildcats have not been successful of late, losing their last six of seven and already failing to record a win against an A-10 opponent. Coming off a weekend where they beat No. 25 Northeastern, the Minutewomen had the edge in momentum.
However, with two A-10 losses in September, this match was just as crucial for UMass as any previous one.
“This has been an interesting week in the Atlantic 10,” Weinberg said, “so it was really important to get this win today.”
Friday’s win brought UMass to 2-2 in the A-10 standings and earned its first conference victory since its 2-0 victory against Saint Louis back on Sept. 21st.
Davidson came close to being shut out, only getting on the scoreboard once its keeper was pulled and Julia Smith put one past UMass’ Megan Davies on a penalty stroke. Davies played the second half of the match and replaced Marlise van Tonder.
A defensive lineup highlighted by Vera Heering and Josie Rossbach made the night relatively easy for the two keepers, who only had to deal with five shots on net and three penalty corners in total. Rossbach and Heering locked down their positions for 58 and 51 minutes of play, respectively.
“We are going to take the rest of the weekend to rest and come out ready to practice on Monday,” Weinberg said.
UMass will play on the road against Lock Haven Friday, Oct. 18th.
Justin Ekstrom can be reached at [email protected].
