The Massachusetts field hockey team earned its second win of the weekend, holding onto a 1-0 lead over the No. 12 Boston College Eagles early Sunday afternoon. The Minutewomen (9-3, 2-0 Atlantic 10) shut out the Eagles (8-3, 3-0 ACC) to remain undefeated at home. The regional rivalry game came down to the wire, as Myrte van Herwijnen stood strong in goal.
BC was fresh off an ACC overtime victory against the No. 3 ranked Virginia Cavaliers at home Friday evening, cementing their sixth win to their streak going into Amherst on Sunday. The decisive win against Virginia moved them to 12th in the nation, and the favorite against the 19th ranked Minutewomen.
“We knew [Sunday] that our press was going to have to be spot on,” head coach Barb Weinberg said. “BC is a very talented team all over the pitch. They had a big win on Friday against UVA, so we knew they were going to have momentum coming in, so our defensive side of things is what we really focused on [Sunday] and they ran the press unbelievable.”
The Minutewomen controlled the first quarter, outshooting the Eagles 3-1. It wasn’t until senior forward Dempsey Campbell opened up the scoring with the game’s only goal late in the first quarter. Assisted by sophomore Neva Eisenga, Campbell tipped the shot to put it over Eagles’ goalkeeper Charlotte Kramer and earn her fifth goal of the season.
UMass’s offensive momentum crumbled after Campbell’s goal in the first quarter, as it struggled against relentless pressure from BC. The Eagles’ midfield presence disrupted the Minutewomen’s flow, resulting in turnovers and limited opportunities, with only two shots on goal, both from penalty corners, following Campbell’s early strike. Despite these challenges, UMass managed to fend off BC’s attacks.
“We continued to talk about little adjustments we needed to make on our press, because [the Eagles] were starting to break us a little bit at the end of the second quarter and then keeping possession through midfield,” Weinberg said of her halftime adjustments. “We had a lot of turnovers through there, and they were getting some opportunities on counter-attacks, so it was about holding the ball longer.”
These adjustments paid off as the Minutewomen found their stride in the second half, connecting passes more effectively and maintaining longer possessions, leading to a tense, competitive battle where neither team managed to break the deadlock. Still holding the lead late in the fourth quarter, UMass looked to survive the Eagles’ offensive onslaught. BC maintained relentless pressure, firing off five shots and drawing four penalty corners.
In a final push, the Eagles pulled their goalkeeper in search of a late equalizer. With the extra attacker on the field, the Minutewomen stepped up to hold onto their lead.
“We’ve practiced that when they pull the keeper, we just drop a striker out into the midfield so that we can handle the extra number,” Weinberg said.
The real game-changer in Sunday’s match wasn’t on the field but between the posts. UMass’ goalkeeper van Herwijnen made 10 saves, withstanding the relentless pressure from the Eagles, including all 10 of their penalty corner attempts showcasing her skill with highlight-reel stretch saves on multiple occasions.
“We scouted [BC] a lot on their penalty corners. They have a great delivery, and [van Herwijnen] stepped up huge today,” Weinberg said. “If there was a gap in our penalty corner unit for whatever we’ve run, she was able to fill in for that.”
The Minutewomen look to build on their two-game weekend streak as they travel to Philadelphia to face off against La Salle on Friday, Oct 11 at 5 p.m.
Luke Jones can be reached at [email protected].
