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The No. 16 Massachusetts field hockey team crushed Bellarmine in the two teams’ inaugural matchup Friday, winning 5-0. With the victory, UMass (14-2, 7-1 Mid-American Conference) has now won four in a row with two games remaining on its schedule.
“[It was a] really good team win,” head coach Barb Weinberg said. “Our goal was to keep moving the ball [and to] play the passing game which we like to do. Just overall, a really good team win.”
In the span of two minutes, the Minutewomen scored two goals to extend their lead to three in the second quarter. Fiene Jenniskens drew the game’s first penalty corner about five minutes into the period. Elena Clococeanu took advantage of the opportunity and buried a goal off Jenniskens’ assist. Less than two minutes later, Clococeanu took another shot from a penalty corner which was deflected by Cara Falconer into the net. It was both Clococeanu and Falconer’s third goals of the season.
Elani Sherwood got the scoring started for UMass just 91 seconds into the game. The English forward split two defenders and got up close to the net, and after taking a shot that was saved, she collected her own rebound and finished the job. The goal was the sophomore’s second of the season, her first since Sep. 21 against Albany.
The Minutewomen’s final two goals came in the third quarter. Just over two minutes into the second half, Falconer fed Kristy Leonard in the center who squeaked a shot past the goalie, finding the bottom left corner. 10 minutes later, Sophie Kent got a shot blocked, but she recollected the ball and fired another that deflected by a defender and dribbled into the net. Leonard and Kent’s goals were also their third on the season, tying Clococeanu and Falconer for fourth on the team.
“Everyone contributed today and we had different people put points on the board,” Weinberg said.
UMass was dominant in the offensive zone, constantly pressuring the Knights’ (2-14, 2-6 MAC) defense. The Minutewomen took 21 shots, 14 of which were on goal, compared to Bellarmine’s two. The home team also held an 8-3 advantage in penalty corners.
“Our midfield was able to find space and break lines, our strikers were working really hard on making leads and we were able to get them the ball,” Weinberg said.
The Knights rarely possessed the ball near Myrte Van Herwijnen’s net, and besides two fourth quarter attempts, they were held without a shot. The senior netminder picked up her eighth shutout of the season which leads the conference.
“We were playing a high press today,” Weinberg said. “I thought everyone’s work rate was really high, we were able to win the ball higher up the pitch. We slipped a little bit in the fourth quarter with some silly turnovers… we have to stay really disciplined even though we’re up by quite a few goals.”
Both of Bellarmine’s shots came from Luna Tuncay. The Knights got two consecutive penalty corner opportunities but Van Herwijnen stopped both shots, securing her shutout. A third penalty corner was awarded to Bellarmine later in the game, but nothing came of it.
Kailey Workman lost her 13th game of the season, matching the goalkeeper’s total from last year. The senior racked up nine saves against the formidable UMass offense. Workman entered the game ranked last in the MAC in save percentage, though she is third in saves per game.
In addition to the play on the field Friday, it was Military Appreciation Day at the Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex. Some fans in the crowd of 300 showed their respect at halftime with hand-made signs.
Next on the schedule for the Minutewomen will be one of their toughest tests of the season, Harvard. As the last undefeated team in the country, the Crimson enter the weekend at No. 4 in the nation coming off a 2-0 victory over Columbia.
“We need to clean up the unforced errors, for one, because Harvard is going to capitalize on those,” Weinberg said. “It’s going to be a tough one but [it’s] also a big regional matchup for us, and typically we match up really well against Harvard.”
At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, UMass will host Harvard at Gladchuk. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
Maxwell Solomon can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Maxwell697909.
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