The Massachusetts women’s soccer team fell to Saint Louis 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in the Atlantic 10 championship game. The Minutewomen (13-5-3, 6-2-2 A-10) traveled to the Billikens (14-1-6, 7-0-3 A-10), hoping to secure their first conference championship since 1997. Despite falling short, UMass has many underclassmen it can turn to and find similar success for the 2025 season.
According to head coach Jason Dowiak, there are a potential 14 players graduating at the end of the academic year. The underclassmen available to them will be important in the rebuilding process.
“We’ve got a lot of youth that will have to step up,” Dowiak said. “Our offseason [is] going to be really [important] in helping them understand what is expected of them moving forward … I think we’re just going to have a different look to us next year. But we got a lot of talent in the young group and a few of them got a lot of experience [Sunday].”
Amanda Schultz and Morgan Bellamy, both freshmen, got a taste of what is yet to come. Schultz started for the Minutewomen on Sunday, playing a total of 48 minutes, totaling 824 this season. Dowiak said Bellamy has been “really strong” and will hopefully have a chance to “prove her worth” next season, although she didn’t play in the championship.
The graduating players played a crucial role in the Minutewomen’s successful season this year. Dowiak attributed much of their on-field composure and maturity to the upperclassmen.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Bella Mendoza played a crucial role in keeping UMass in the game during Sunday’s matchup. Saint Louis had 16 shots and Mendoza saved four of its shots on goal.
Emma Pedolzky also played a big role in the Minutewomen’s postseason run. The senior secured their advancement to the championship game after she scored in the 89th minute of the semifinal matchup against Dayton.
Bella Recinos, a midfielder for UMass, started every game, netting 10 goals and three assists over the course of the season. During Sunday’s game, she was its sole goal scorer, finding the back of Billiken’s goalkeeper Emily Puricelli’s net in the 37th minute.
“[This season] was great,” Dowiak said. “It’s a special group that we’ve gotten really close with and we’ve got a lot of amazing human beings on our team. They’ve really helped us grow the culture and community that’s within our team and there’s just so much love within our group.”
The Minutewomen’s 2024 season was their best overall record since 2011, where they went 14-5-2 and 6-2-1 in the A-10. This season has been their best since Dowiak’s appointment as head coach. With Dowiak at the helm, the Minutewomen have had an overall record of 65-42-21 since he joined the team back in 2018, where they finished fifth in the A-10.
The last time UMass was featured in the A-10 championship title game was in 2021 when it also faced Saint Louis and lost 4-1. UMass’ best overall record was in 1997 when it went 17-5-0, won its last conference title and secured a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Next season, UMass will be moving to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) after the University announced it in Feb. of this year. However, looking to the new conference has not been on the team’s mind. According to Dowiak, it’s trying to “soak up every ounce of this season and enjoy every minute … together.”
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected].
