The Massachusetts field hockey team defeated Davidson College 3-2 on Friday. UMass (9-6, 3-2 Atlantic 10) used a well-balanced offense led by Jess Beech’s game winning goal.
With 4:01 left in the game, the Minutewomen had a corner opportunity, one of nine penalty corner opportunities for them. Davidson (5-10, 0-5 A-10) also had more than the six corners. The ball got fired into the stick of Steph Gottwals who set the ball up for a Beech slap shot that zoomed right by the defense. The goal was Beech’s team leading fifth goal of the year. Beech now sits second in points. Beech also has 39 career goals.
The other two goals for UMass came from newcomers joining the goal party with their first of the year. Eight minutes into the second quarter, Izzy Acquaviva fired the ball into the zone from the 25-yard line that got by the defense, including the goalkeeper and found the back of the net.
A minute into the contest, Senior Claire Danahy found the back of the net. She controlled the ball on the edge of the zone after a couple shots from the Minutewomen, eventually firing the ball straight by the goalkeeper to take the early lead.
UMass had 22 shots, 15 of which were on goal, outshooting the Wildcats who had 11 shots, only five of which were on goal. Three time A-10 defensive player of the week Myrte van Herwijnen had three saves and another win further improving her impressive resume on the year. Davidson goalkeeper Cato Roell faced 22 shots, including 15 on goal, and made 11 saves.
Sophomore Izzy Larimore tallied her first assist of her career on Acquaviva’s aforementioned goal. Gottwals’ assist on Beech’s goal was her team leading fourth of the year, tying with Mali Herberhold.
Davidson’s first goal of the game came six minutes into the contest when Adriana Dav Risi handled the ball into the zone, attempting to pass to a teammate but the ball ricocheted off a UMass defender and found the back of the net. The other goal for the Wildcats came in the second quarter when a penalty corner attempt went off goalkeepr van Herwijnen into the waiting stick of Ava Dav Mickel who fired it into the net.
The Minutewomen controlled the game better than the score suggests, keeping possession in the midfield and on the Davidson side of the field for a majority of the match. After only three shots in the first quarter, UMass put up seven in the second and six in each of the next two quarters to close out the Wildcats.
Davidson remains winless in the A-10, having lost four of its last five. UMass boasts a 9-0-0 record against the Wildcats in its program’s history.
The Minutewomen turn their attention to another A-10 foe as they welcome the Richmond Spiders to Gladchuk Friday, October 20 with a face off slated for 3p.m.
Owen Shelffo can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @owen_shelffo
