The Massachusetts field hockey team needed two goals in the third quarter to lead it to victory against Boston University on Monday, and they were successful, winning 3-1.
UMass (6-2, 1-0 Atlantic 10) goalkeeper Myrte Van Herwijnen continued to command the net. After the Minutewomen turned over the ball to allow a Terriers (3-4, 1-0 Patriot League) breakaway, Van Herwijnen kept her composure in net, diving to slow down the ball to allow a UMass defender to grab it from behind her.
On the other hand, Terrier goalkeeper Caroline Kelly was also making difficult saves in net. Bella Ianni took a hard shot at Kelly, but the goalkeeper got just a piece of it to keep the game at zero. Then, on a corner, Josie Rossbach hit the ball into an open corner and the goalkeeper stretched out her leg to make a save.
The goalkeepers kept the game at zero at the end of the initial 30 minutes. With over one minute played in the second half, the Terriers got on the board. A pass by Casey Thompson that was tapped in by Tess Csejka rolled past Van Herwijnen to give BU a 1-0 lead.
“I think when you come through two quarters, you’re just feeling like nothing is connecting and the skills are off, the message is just it’s going to be mentally and physically a very tough game to win,” UMass head coach Barb Weinberg said.
A few minutes after, the Minutewomen responded with a goal of their own. Claire Danahy popped the ball up right past the reach of Thompson. Danahy scored again in the fourth quarter to extend UMass’ lead.
“Once that momentum starts and you can kind of take a deep breath and relax then the ball will start rolling,” Weinberg said.
Danahy not only showed up on the score sheet but could be seen all over the field. The junior was using her body to keep the Terriers to the outside, putting pressure on them.
“[Danahy] does a great job on penalty corners and being in that spot,” Weinberg said. “She was in the right place today and executed perfectly when we really needed her to.”
Shortly after Danahy’s first goal, Steph Gottwals hit the ball between the BU goaltender’s legs to give UMass a 2-1 lead early into the second half.
“I’m proud that they came out. The work rate increased in the second half. We started to connect a little more, especially in the fourth quarter and win,” Weinberg said.
Both teams played with aggression in the first quarter, which led to green cards being issued to UMass’ Danahy and BU’s Thalia Steenssens. After the green cards, it was evident that both teams were hungry to score. Some of the aggression turned into frustration and at the end of the quarter a penalty that looked like it was outside of the circle turned into a last second corner.
The Minutewomen’s speed helped them get to balls that at times looked unreachable. If a teammate was using too much power when passing the ball, another one was able to quickly retrieve it. Their speed also allowed them to get past the Terriers quickly to break away from the clusters of players waiting for them.
The UMass defense was also a contributor in keeping BU’s offense from finding the back of the net. In the first, a Terriers’ player was able to get Van Herwijnen to dive for the ball to leave her vulnerable. The BU forward then hit it past the goalkeeper, but Izzy Larimore was there to stop the ball.
The Minutewomen will continue at home against conference opponent, Davidson on Friday, Sept 23. The game is set for 3 p.m.
Kayla Gregoire can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Kaygregoire.
