The Massachusetts women’s soccer team won their second conference game on Thursday, defeating Fordham 4-2. Despite the game’s rainy conditions, the Minutewomen’s (7-3-1, 2-1 Atlantic 10) offense was reliable.
After a goal from senior forward Ashley Lamond put UMass up 4-0, the Rams (6-3-2, 1-1-1 A-10) were able to get a foot back in the game under a minute later. In the 54th minute, Fordham forward Riley Carroll got a shot past Minutewomen goalkeeper Bella Mendoza. Following Carroll’s strike, Liina Tervo broke through UMass’ defensive line in the 71st minute to make a tie, or even win, feasible.
Although the Rams were able to put two goals on the scoresheet, the Minutewomen were able to regain possession and control of the game over the last 15 to 20 minutes.
UMass’ success on offense began in the 24th minute when senior Chandler Pedolzky opened the scoring. After a short corner kick led to a deflected shot by Fordham’s goalkeeper Kyla King, Ella Curry passed into Pedolzky who headed the ball into the net under King.
After getting her name in the scorebook, Pedolzky fell to the ground holding her knee as King had knocked her over. The senior forward was carted off the field and remained on the sideline for the rest of the game.
“It’s like spooky season for us… it was a weird game, obviously [Pedolzky] going down on the first goal was a very emotional moment for us,” head coach Jason Dowiak said. “I am so proud of our team for how they responded in the midst of everybody being very emotional.”
The Minutewomen quickly managed their emotions in the 29th minute when Bella Recinos scored her fifth goal of the season. Receiving a Nia Hislop pass from outside the box, Recinos drove the ball into the bottom right corner of the net under King to extend UMass’ lead to two goals.
The Minutewomen’s offense secured a couple insurance goals early in the second half, with Julianna Ryan scoring her first goal of the season in the 50th minute and Lamond scoring the team’s fourth in the 53rd minute, respectively.
“Being able to score goals is something we know we are capable of and it’s another [game with] four different goal scorers,” Dowiak said. “So we [were] really able to spread the wealth and see a lot of different styles of finish and some phenomenal finishes today.”
Substitutions from UMass after the Rams’ second goal brought on players who previously played and introduced renewed energy onto the field.
“We made a few changes and got a few players back on the field after those two goals. [Recinos] and Emma Pedolzky… Karina Groff came back on,” Dowiak said. “So it’s also some players that are playing with a lot of confidence now, that when they go back on, it kind of settles everybody else back down.”
To continue the Minutewomen’s momentum, Dowiak hopes that his players can relax a bit on the field and manage their emotions as the stress of the semester takes off.
UMass’ offense tallied 14 shots over the game’s 90 minutes to Fordham’s six. The depth of the team was apparent, as 19 Minutewomen played over 10 minutes.
UMass hosted the Rams at Rudd Field in its third A-10 game of the season. Thursday’s victory marks the second straight win for the Minutewomen after they defeated St. Bonaventure 1-0 on the road.
Looking ahead, UMass will host Rhode Island at Rudd Field on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected].
