The No. 14 Massachusetts field hockey team takes on No. 2 Northwestern in the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament on Friday, making its first final-four appearance since 1992. The Minutewomen (17-5, 7-0 Atlantic 10) continue their historic run in a Cinderella story turn of events, reaching the final four for the first time under head coach Barb Weinberg.
“A lot of things have to line up to be a final four team and the belief in this team and the way that they fight for one another on the field, there’s no one else in the country that does it like that,” Weinberg said.
UMass entered the tournament facing UConn, a team that was victorious 1-0 over the Minutewomen in the regular season. Led by Hannah de Gast and Paula Lorenzini, UMass captured a first-round win, topping the Huskies 2-1.
The Minutewomen met another familiar face in the elite eight matchup vs No. 10 Harvard. Although the Crimson defeated UMass 2-1 earlier in the season, the Minutewomen found their stride, taking a 1-0 win to move on to the final four with an unassisted goal from Claire Danahy.
“The team is calling it the revenge tour,” Weinberg said of UMass’ tournament run.
The Minutewomen first met their final-four matchup on Sept. 1, when UMass fell 6-1 to Northwestern (21-1, 8-0 Big Ten). The Wildcats scored six goals with five different scorers to handily defeat the Minutewomen on Northwestern’s home turf, but UMass is en route to change the trajectory.
“As coaches what you can do is lay out a plan and it’s up to the team to execute that plan,” Weinberg said. “They’ve done nothing but exceed what we’ve asked of them this season and we have full faith that we’re going to compete really well with Northwestern on Friday.”
The Minutewomen are no stranger to second-chance matchups and Friday will be its biggest challenge yet.
Northwestern is led by Sophomore Ashley Sessa in her first season with the Wildcats. The UNC transfer has 63 points spearheaded by 23 goals this season, alongside a list of accomplishments including three-time Big Ten offensive player of the week and 2024 Olympic field hockey team member. The standout notched three assists against UMass in the team’s first meeting and will look to lead her team into the finals.
Following Sessa are offensive forces Ilse Tromp and Maddie Zimmer. Tromp has nine total goals and six assists this season, playing a full 60 minutes in most games on the midfield line. Zimmer had a season-high five shots against the Minutewomen in the first meeting, scoring two goals. The midfielder has nine goals and 10 assists in her senior campaign.
In goal for the Wildcats is Annabel Skubisz. The veteran goalkeeper has appeared in every game this season, saving 85.3 percent of shots. It will be a matchup of goalies, as Skubisz, 2023 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and 2023 Big Ten Tournament MVP, takes on UMass goalie Myrte van Herwijnen, A-10 Goalkeeper of The Year. Van Herwijnen has been crucial for the Minutewomen, saving 0.794 shots while guarding the goal.
The stakes have never been higher for this UMass team, but as the pressure rises van Herwijnen relies on her teammates to keep her grounded.
“I feel it’s easy to feel the pressure and get overwhelmed especially because these games are so important and you only going to get one shot because if you lose you’re out of the tournament, but I feel more at ease just because of the girls I have around me,” van Herwijnen said of her teammates.
The Minutewomen have received praise for their play all season, capturing 16 awards to highlight the historic season. Weinberg took home coach of the year, Lorenzini claimed Defensive Player of The Year and Elani Sherwood was honored as Rookie of the Year.
Graduate student Danahy has been solid for UMass, scoring the lone goal to capture the elite eight win, while registering eight goals and 13 assists throughout the season. Freshman Sherwood has also had a statement season, scoring a team-high nine goals off 31 shots on goal. Joined by Elena Clococeanu, Dempsey Campbell, Lorenzini and de Gast, the Minutewomen have nothing short of offensive fire.
“We all love each other,” Danahy said of the teams chemistry. “It’s been such a fun season. We enjoy coming to practice every day, hanging out with each other and doing the sport we love every day.”
The close-knit group has raised any expectations set on them and will face the ultimate challenge on Friday. UMass will face Northwestern at 3 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Michigan with both teams fighting for a spot in the NCAA field hockey finals.
“No one expected us to make it to the final four,” van Herwijnen said.
No one expected UMass to beat Harvard or UConn either.
Lucy Postera can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @lucypostera
