The Massachusetts field hockey team dominated the University of Connecticut in a non-conference regional rivalry on Sunday afternoon, taking down the Huskies by a score of 3-1 on youth day and pride day.
Coming off a loss to St Joseph’s on Friday, the Minutewomen needed to show a lot of energy on Sunday. After taking a few days to rest and improve on certain areas of play, UMass was full of energy, but it took until the second half for it to show.
“Our basic skills really lacked in the first half and that was a big thing we talked about at halftime,” head coach Barb Weinberg said. “That was a complete turnaround in the second half. The energy, the behavior, and our basics being able to pass and trap was much improved in the second half which led to our success in this game.”
35 seconds into the second quarter, junior Dempsey Campbell had her eye set on scoring and reverse chipped the ball into the right-hand corner of the net, netting her third goal of the season. This early play ignited a fire under the Minutewomen after they came out flat in the first quarter.
Goalkeeper Myrte van Herwinjen was a standout player on Sunday, making 14 saves, six of which came under heavy offensive pressure during the fourth quarter. Van Herwinjen remained solid during all 15 of the Huskies offensive penalty corners, not allowing any past her.
After being named UMass student-athlete of the week on Oct. 3, as well as earning the title of A-10 defensive player of the week twice, van Herwinjen showed how valuable she is to the Minutewomen on Sunday.
“[van Herwijnen] is playing very very well right now,” Weinberg said. “She’s confident, she’s a competitor and her confidence has just grown over the course of the season.”
UConn’s lone goal occurred in the second quarter after a whistle was blown and a stroke was called. Husky Julia Bressler was able to take advantage, scoring against UMass goalie Brooke Richards. Richards has had a successful career in terms of strokes, saving four out of five she had faced before Sunday, so Weinberg made the decision to switch goalies temporarily with the hopes of keeping UConn off the scoreboard.
Two third quarter goals made the difference for the Minutewomen.
Mali Herberhold sent Hannah de Gast a pass off a penalty corner to jump ahead 2-1, before scoring one of her own. The duo switched places with de Gast and Steph Gotwalls assisting Herberhold, adding one more tally to the board.
These two goals propelled the Minutewomen ahead of the Huskies and led them to victory on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.
The Minutewomen recently jumped from No. 19 to No. 15 in the NCAA Division I rankings, showing their ability to compete with the highest level of competition.
Next week the Minutewomen will travel to North Carolina to face the Davidson Wildcats on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
“We’ve got some things defensively we need to clean up this week,” Weinberg said. “And then we’ll start our preparation for Davidson.”
Lucy Postera can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @lucypostera.
