Although the historic run by the Massachusetts field hockey team came to an end with a 1-0 loss to No. 2 Northwestern, goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen put together an impressive performance.
The netminder picked up six saves during the semifinal matchup, the most saves the junior has had since playing La Salle in early October.
The second period featured all six of van Herwijnen’s saves. Just over two minutes into the period, Northwestern’s (22-1, 8-0 Big 10) lead goal-scorer Ashley Sessa took a shot that was saved by the Minutewomen (17-6, 7-1 A-10) goalkeeper. Elaine Velthuizen quickly followed it up with another shot that was blocked by the UMass defense. Finally, after van Herwijnen attempted to clear the ball by kicking it away, Maddie Zimmer took another try at the keeper but the A-10 Goalkeeper of the Year made a diving save to prevent the score.
Later in the period, the Wildcats once again tried attacking the Netherlands native to no avail. To end the first half, van Herwijnen made a kick-save against Lauren Wadas’ shot which then Zimmer collected and gave a behind-the-back pass to Olivia Bent-Cole who was immediately met by the Minutewomen keeper attacking her shot, which was saved with seven seconds remaining in the Northwestern-dominated period.
Sessa was the game’s only goal-scorer, putting the ball in the back of the net just under five minutes into the final period. After Zimmer forced a UMass turnover, she brought the ball up on a breakaway, found Sessa open on the left side and, after an effective spin move, finished a backhand shot from the left-side baseline. The redshirt sophomore’s game-winning goal was her 24th of the season as the North Carolina transfer scored the second-most goals in the nation this season. The 24th goal puts her in a tie for sixth most goals in a season in Northwestern history.
Van Herwijnen finished her season with 87 total saves and a save percentage of 80 percent. The junior went 17-6 throughout the season and allowed just two goals during the Minutewomen’s three-game run in the tournament, including her eighth shutout in the quarterfinals.
Northwestern’s offense displayed its season-long dominance, outshooting UMass 10-2 with seven shots on goal. The Wildcats came into the game averaging 3.64 goals per game and tying for the most goals scored in the country. The Minutewomen defense did everything they could and van Herwijnen came up in clutch time after time but in the end, the Cinderella story came to a close.
To open up the season, UMass faced the Wildcats and were defeated convincingly 6-1. In that game, van Herwijnen faced 22 shots and allowed six goals, both season-highs. Although Northwestern got the victory, the Minutewomen defense and goaltending exhibited their improvement throughout the season by slowing down one of the best offenses the nation has to offer.
UMass caps a historic season that resulted in its fourth Final Four appearance and first time since 1992. Despite coming in as underdogs during the tournament, the Minutewomen also picked up two upset wins on their way to Ann Arbor. UMass also captured a regular season A-10 championship for the first time in 10 years.
Northwestern will head to its fourth consecutive national championship and face A-10 foe No. 4 St. Joseph’s, who upset No. 1 North Carolina in their semifinal game. The game will be on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1:30 p.m. and available to watch on ESPNU.
Maxwell Solomon can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Maxwell697909.