UMass Field Hockey is on a five-game win streak to end the season with their latest victory coming in a 3-0 shutout against Lockhaven. They finished the season with a 5-2 conference record with losses against Saint Joseph’s and VCU. The Minutewomen will look to avenge their 1-0 loss to VCU on September 29th during Thursday’s tournament game.
Regular Season Overview
UMass Field Hockey has dominated offensively this season, outsourcing their opponents 39-24. Along with the 39 goals, the Minutewomen have placed 122 shots on goal this season. Despite outscoring their opponents, UMass is only averaging 2.11 goals per game which is T-38 in the country.
This season penalties have hurt UMass more than they have helped. UMass has allowed 128 penalty corners and only received 103 themselves. The Minutewomen have also given up twice as many penalty strokes as they have taken.
Individually, the Minutewomen have been led by sophomore forward Mali Herberhold and junior forward Dempsey Campbell. Herberhold leads the team with 16 points including six goals and four assists. Of those six goals, four were game-winners.
Campbell was second on the team in points with 15 and found the back of the cage seven times, including twice in the season finale against Lock Haven.
Other notable offensive performances include graduate forward Steph Gottwals, who recorded 13 points and 22 shots. Gottwals’s five assists are T-8 for most in the A10 Conference.
Graduate midfielder Jess Beech tacked on 12 points, along with junior midfielder Hannah De Gast who has 10. Graduate midfielder Emilie Keij added nine points and also led the team with 1,020 minutes played.
The defense is led by Jossie Rossbach who was crucial to the Minutewomen this season. Rossbach recorded four of UMass’ five defensive saves this season which led the A10 conference. Rossbach also earned A10 Field Hockey honors once this season.
The star of the team has been sophomore goalie, Myrte van Herwijnen. The Dutch standout has started in 14 games and only allowed 20 goals for a 1.29 goals-against average and .821 save percentage which is third in the country.
Van Herwijnen has an 8-6 record and has recorded four shutouts. She also earned A10 Field Hockey honors three times over the course of the season.
A Familiar Foe
VCU has been a thorn in the side of UMass over the past few seasons and will look to knock off the Minutewomen for a second time this season. The Rams of VCU have dropped three of their last five games, but their 13-5 record across the season is no small feat.
The Rams have scored 43 goals on the season compared to their opponent’s 21. They have also outshot their opponents 239-133. Along with this, the Rams are averaging 13.3 shots per game and have taken 106 penalty corners this season.
Leading the offensive charge is freshman Mora Marrero who led her team with 28 points. The Argentinian native’s .80 points per game total is good for 16th across the NCAA. Marrero earned A10 Field Hockey honors four times over the course of the season.
Sophomore Morena Macera has also added offensive firepower with nine goals and six assists for 24 points.
Senior, Skyler Padgett is one of the most experienced members of the Rams and that experience showed as she notched six goals on the season.
In goal is Sherid Messier, who has started all 18 games for the Rams. Her .722 win-loss percentage is T-15 in the nation. In the cage, she has stopped 63 shots and recorded a 1.32 goals-against average. Messier also recorded five shutouts on the season and was awarded A10 weekly honors three times.
It is worth noting that the A10 tournament is being hosted by VCU, so they will have a definitive home-field advantage for this game. The Minutewomen have also dropped five of their last seven against VCU, dating back to 2018. This includes two double-overtime losses in the A10 tournament. The winner of this game will face the victor of Saint Joseph’s vs. La Salle. The Minutewomen and Rams will face off at 2 p.m. on Thursday at Cary Street Field in Virginia.
