After a wire-to-wire victory against Central Michigan, a struggling Mid-American Conference program, the Massachusetts women’s soccer team will look to take down a juggernaut in the MAC. As the Minutewomen (4-5-2, 2-3-0 MAC) continue to get acquainted with their new home, they will host Buffalo, one of the top teams in the conference.
UMass took the lessons learned from a 5-2 beatdown against Western Michigan into its matchup against the weakest team in the MAC, the Chippewas (0-10-2, 0-4-2 MAC), where it earned a convincing 2-0 win. The veterans led the way, scoring both goals, but it was the defense that told the story of the game. The Minutewomen shut out Central Michigan despite facing 15 shots. Goalkeeper Leah Nisenfeld stood strong throughout, making six saves to preserve the clean sheet.
UMass will need its best performance against the Bulls (9-2-1, 5-1 MAC), who are the second-place team in the MAC. Buffalo will be an excellent trial to determine whether Massachusetts is a legitimate contender this season.
The Bulls have one of the most potent offenses in the MAC, scoring consistently at a high level with 24 goals this season. The Minutewomen, in comparison, have tallied 11 goals. That lower total is largely due to a three-game stretch in early September during which UMass went scoreless. However, the upside is clear for this young squad. The Minutewomen have scored two goals in each of their last two games, even while facing the Broncos’ (9-2-1, 5-0-1 MAC) stout defense.
Buffalo has only been held scoreless once. The Bulls’ offense poses a challenge for nearly every opponent, as they have scored three or more goals in four games this year. That is a feat the Minutewomen have yet to achieve.
Buffalo is coming off a dominant offensive performance against Northern Illinois, in which it overwhelmed the Huskies (3-5-3, 1-2-2 MAC) with a 5-0 avalanche. After a scoreless first half, the Bulls regrouped and came out of the locker room as a different team. They scored their first goal just four minutes into the second half, and the goals kept coming.
A key contributor to that scoring surge was Marissa Foster, who netted the final three goals of the game. Foster will be one to watch when Buffalo visits Amherst. The Bulls also feature standout talents such as forward Jasmine Guerber and midfielder Laiken Kiser, both of whom have five goals this season.
Buffalo enters Thursday’s matchup on a five-game winning streak and will be aiming to extend it to six. While the Bulls are perfect at home, they have proven beatable on the road, where they have dropped two contests. The Minutewomen will look to capitalize on that when the two teams clash Thursday, Oct. 9, at 3 p.m. at Rudd Field.
On Sunday, Eastern Michigan will come to town to take on Massachusetts. The Eagles (4-5-3, 2-1-3 MAC) have struggled to close out games, ending their last three in draws. That trend could spell trouble for them, as the Minutewomen have shown an ability to score late.
In each of those three ties, Eastern Michigan struck first but quickly surrendered momentum. Against Kent State, the Eagles gave up an equalizer just six seconds after scoring. Instead of rallying, Eastern Michigan committed a foul and picked up two yellow cards.
The Eagles nearly pulled out a win against Ohio but gave up a goal with four minutes remaining, settling for yet another draw. Mental mistakes like these have been costly, and if the trend continues, Massachusetts will be in a position to take advantage.
Eastern Michigan forward Olivia Sipsock could pose a challenge for the UMass defense. The junior leads the Eagles with four goals and will be the focal point of their attack.
Kickoff between Eastern Michigan and Massachusetts is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at Rudd Field.
Jonathan Charlier can be reached at [email protected].
