The Massachusetts women’s soccer team took on Loyola Chicago Saturday, securing a 1-0 victory to advance in its Atlantic 10 championship pursuit and earn a spot in the semifinal. The deal sealer for the Minutewomen (12-4-3, 6-2-2 A-10) against the Ramblers (9-5-5, 4-2-4 A-10) was an early corner kick.
The pivotal moment for UMass came in the ninth minute. Ella Curry quickly advanced the ball up the field, passing to Morgan Bellamy, who found Bella Recinos just outside the 18-yard box. Recinos fired a shot, only for it to be deflected by Loyola Chicago’s Emily Roberts. Curry lined up for the corner kick and sent the ball curving into the back of the net, securing the win for the Minutewomen early on.
With a total of four corners in the match, the ability to press and capitalize off of set pieces has been a continuous positive trend for UMass.
“Going into the first game with [Loyola Chicago], we started focusing a lot more on the details and putting our team in uncontested defending and attacking set pieces,” head coach Jason Dowiak said. “I think we’ve seen an uptick in our success, and [we’ve] been able to be a little more dangerous.”
A common denominator to this success is graduate student Ella Curry. Curry provided the corner service that led to Ashley Lamond’s goal in the Minutewomen’s matchup against VCU, as well as a precise corner for Hannah Peric’s score against Rhode Island. Also lining up for numerous penalty kick opportunities, such as her goal in the aforementioned URI matchup, Curry has consistently proven to be a key playmaker for UMass.
“We’ve scored a lot of set piece goals this year,” Dowiak said. “We want to create more corners, more opportunities for [Curry] … her service is unreal.”
In addition to Curry’s standout performances, Bella Recinos has also been instrumental with her contributions from set pieces. With crucial penalty kick goals against Dayton and Saint Joseph’s, Recinos has provided support for the Minutewomen in critical moments.
“In any match, [set pieces are] an area where we can be really dangerous,” Dowiak said. “Having players like Ella Curry and Bella Recinos, who are just so good on the ball and able to deliver, it’s always going to be something that’ll add another threat for us.”
Looking forward to the semifinals, UMass will either face Dayton or Saint Joseph’s. With a loss against the former and a draw with the latter, the Minutewomen will face a worthy challenge whichever way the cookie crumbles.
In previous matches against both potential opponents, Recinos successfully converted penalty kicks inside the box. If UMass aims to advance further in the tournament, maintaining momentum with set pieces will be crucial.
In the previous game against the Flyers, the Minutewomen held steadfast on the offense but struggled on the defensive end, falling by a score of 3-2. Only awarded one corner to Dayton’s 11, UMass will have to tighten up on the back line, stressing the defensive element of set pieces as well.
In the Minutewomen’s match against the Hawks, they struggled with control, particularly on the back line as well. Physicality is no stranger to the UMass side and harnessing this element into conducive play will be crucial to its overall success.
“The maturity of the group is going to be a big catalyst for wherever we are,” Dowiak said. “We want to go in … [and show] we’re able to beat anybody in our league.”
The Minutewomen will be back in action on Wednesday Nov. 6, kickoff time and location to be determined.
Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Kate_e_endres.
