The Massachusetts women’s soccer team tied 1-1 against Duquesne University in a close and physical Atlantic 10 matchup on Thursday. Each goal for the Minutewomen (6-3-3, 3-1-1 A-10) and the Dukes (5-5-3, 2-0-3 A-10) was scored in the first half, turning a scoreless second half into a highly physical and intense game.
UMass dominated early with quick ball movement where it held control over the midfield and generated many opportunities to get shots off. But headed into the second half, the momentum swung quickly and the Minutewomen had to catch up with Duquesne’s quick pace and physical play.
“[It was] tailored to two different games for us…we played so well in the first 30-35 minutes, created so many great chances,” UMass head coach Jason Dowiak said. “We let the momentum get away from us at the end of the first half…and then they came out and they were very aggressive and up for it in the second half and we started a little too flat.”
Despite a total of 16 shots on the night for the Minutewomen, only one got past Dukes goalkeeper Maddy Neundorfer, which junior midfielder Bella Recinos sent in. At the 30-minute mark, defender Juliana Ryan sent a through ball to Recinos who made headway towards the net. As Neundorfer charged out of her goal, Recinos slipped the ball past and into the back of the net, giving UMass a 1-0 lead.
It was Recinos’ fourth goal and Ryan’s second assist of the season. Ryan was later sent off when she took a second yellow card, leaving the Minutewomen with 10 players for the last seven minutes of the game.
The Minutewomen also had an early missed opportunity. Ten minutes into the game, UMass received a penalty kick from a Duquesne handball in the box. Fiona Kane took the penalty kick and was unsuccessful as Neundorfer laid out completely just in time to grab the ball and save her team from falling behind early.
What looked like a scoreless half for the Dukes with just two minutes left to spare until halftime suddenly turned as Duquesne found a game-tying goal at the 43-minute mark. Sophomore forward Brianna Moore sent a powerful shot towards the goal from far back, which UMass goalkeeper Bella Mendoza jumped up for but only getting her glove on it, as the ball grazed the crossbar and soared into the net. Moore’s goal sent both teams into halftime with a tied score of 1-1.
Out of the Dukes’ 12 shots on the night, Mendoza saved three of the four that were on net, two being great saves that showcased her athleticism as she had to stretch out far to get her hands on the ball.
As time ticked off the clock and there were fewer chances for either team to score the game-winning goal, the contest got much more aggressive. The referee called 24 fouls during the game, 14 on the Dukes and 10 on UMass. The Minutewomen also received five yellow cards along with Ryan’s red card.
“[I] was really proud of the team,” Dowiak said about how they played following the red card. “We created some more chances, even being down a player…we were still there to compete and try to find another way to battle it in.”
The conclusion of this game leaves UMass ranked second in the A-10 conference, only behind Saint Louis with five games left to play in the season.
Looking forward, the Minutewomen return to Rudd Field on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. to take on Loyola Chicago for another A-10 matchup.
“Coming away still with getting a draw and battling and creating the best last chance of the game was something that we’ll walk away with feeling great about going into the next one,” Dowiak said.
Samantha Sands can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @samantha_sands_
