The Massachusetts women’s soccer team dominated in its final home game of the regular season against Davidson with a 2-0 victory on Thursday.

Credited to two second half goals, UMass (11-4-2, Atlantic 10 6-2-1) won its second consecutive game and is currently seeded in third place of the A-10 standings with one more regular season game left on the docket.

“We love being home, and it’s great to bounce back after our last home not going the way we wanted to and getting a good result against a team that was really competitive today,” head coach Jason Dowiak said.

With a 0-0 stalemate entering the second half, the Minutewomen’s offensive power finally struck, as midfielder Emma Pedolzky found the back of the net in the 53rd minute.

Midfielder Juliana Ryan’s unmatched speed took her to the right corner of Davidson’s (7-7-3, A-10 3-5-1) end of the field, where she outmaneuvered a defender to send a strong cross into the Wildcats’ box.

Positioned right in front of the goalkeeper, Pedolzky sent the cross in the bottom right of the net for the game’s first goal. This was Pedolzky’s third goal of the season and Ryan’s second assist.

Nine minutes later, UMass’ advancements toward the Wildcats net continued as forward Ashley Lamond scored an unassisted goal in the 63rd minute to boost the Minutewomen to a 2-0 lead.

UMass’ two unanswered goals were a switch up from the first half, showcasing two evenly matched teams going back and forth with possession. The Minutewomen and Davidson matched each other’s intensity, and both teams’ defenses dominated to cement the 0-0 halftime score.

“It was quite windy in the first half and we had to settle into that… but we dealt with it and then came out in the second half and really controlled the game, created great chances and scored two nice goals,” Dowiak said. “Just proud of our group.”

But, as UMass found a groove, the Wildcats’ struggles to net a goal continued as they were ultimately held scoreless. With this performance, goalkeeper Bella Mendoza notched her eighth shutout of the season, earning shutouts in back-to-back games.

To keep Davidson scoreless, the Minutewomen’s backfield lineup of Hannah Peric, Ella Curry and Ryan was a brick wall that the Wildcats could not break down. Davidson had nine shots total, but with Mendoza’s four saves and the defense’s dominance, UMass kept its goal clean.

“I think our success this year is a combination of experience, all being on the same page, and everybody just caring so much about each other to lift each other up,” Dowiak said.

One standout play by Mendoza and the defense came in the final minutes of regulation. As a Wildcats attacker kicked off a solid shot, Mendoza made a diving save, knocking the ball back into play and Mendoza to the ground.

Taking the rebound, a different Davidson player sent off another shot, but a UMass defender took place in front of the goal and headed the ball away and out of the box. This series of saves was the solidifying play to hold off the Wildcats and maintain the shutout.

With the victory, UMass ends its regular season with a home record of 6-2-1.

Headed into the final regular season game of the year, the next matchup becomes a piece of history for the UMass program. With the team set to move to the Mid-American Conference next year, the Minutewomen will be playing in their final regular season game of the A-10 conference on Sunday.

Traveling to Richmond, VA, UMass will face VCU on Oct. 27 at 1:30 p.m. in hopes of capping off its last season in the A-10 on a high note before moving into the A-10 Championship tournament.

“The focus of the next few days is just enjoy it,” Dowiak said. “We want to soak every minute of the rest of our season up and rally maximize our time together.”

Samantha Sands can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @samantha_sands_.