After a hard-fought win over Rutgers, the Massachusetts women’s soccer team held strong at home against Harvard Thursday, holding the Crimson (1-0-1) to a 0-0 stalemate. With UMass (1-2-1) on the defensive end for much of the contest, it took a team effort to keep Harvard from finding the back of the goal.
“It’s another unbelievable opponent, we really challenged ourselves with the way we set up the schedule this year and we did that because we know what our mature group is capable of and they just showed it again today,” head coach Jason Dowiak said.
In the final seconds of regulation, the Crimson made a last-ditch effort to pull ahead. After getting past UMass goalkeeper Bella Mendoza, Harvard forward Jasmine Leshnick attempted to put the ball in the back of the net. UMass center back Ella Curry quickly cleared the ball, letting time run down on the clock and keeping the Minutewomen’s undefeated home streak alive.
“Ella Curry stepped in at center back and played there a lot against Rutgers, and she’s just the epitome of what a leader is,” Dowiak said. “[Curry’s] a two-year captain [and] played unbelievably today in that [center back] role like she’s played there her whole life and she’s a center mid.”
Mendoza was challenged all game by the Crimson, facing 17 shots throughout the game’s 90 minutes. In the 82nd minute, Harvard got three consecutive corner kicks, but the UMass defense kept coming up with stops until Mendoza made a diving save to allow the Minutewomen to regain possession.
“[We were] just willing to play the way we want to play, stay super focused on our tactical ideas and be stingy in the way that we defend and it took options away from them,” Dowiak said. “I’m just so proud of the attitude, energy and effort and then the composure to play beyond just defending for the long stretches.”
The Crimson’s 17 shots more than doubled the Minutewomen’s seven, as UMass struggled to find its offensive identity all game. Bella Recinos recorded four of those seven shots, as she continued to occupy a leading role in the Minutewomen offense. Past Recinos, Grace Pinkus, Amelia Bloom and Caroline Dickson each recorded a shot on net.
Harvard was led in shots by Leshnick, who came on as a sub in the 29th minute. The sophomore attempted four shots throughout the game, though none of them made it into the net. Five other Crimson players would take multiple shots.
While the game lacked in scoring, both teams came out and played physical. There were 22 fouls combined through the game’s 90 minutes, with the Crimson finishing with 13 total fouls compared to the Minutewomen’s nine. Harvard’s Amy König received the contest’s lone yellow card in the second half.
“It’s just ‘together’,” Dowiak said on the team’s mindset when preparing for games. “We’ve worked so hard for the last two months since they came back for the summer term, their attitudes and energy have been awesome for that whole stretch. There’s so much depth in our team, not just on the field getting minutes every game, but in how they lift each other up, how they encourage each other, there was so much energy. The energy during the game on the bench and on the field is just incredible.”
The Minutewomen travel to Boston College for their next game, facing off against their in-state rival this Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Devin Lippman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @devinlippman.
