The Minutewomen are in the midst of one of their most successful field hockey seasons in program history. They finished the season with a 15-5 record, including a perfect 7-0 record during regular-season conference play. UMass also posted a perfect 9-0 record on their home field.
With their perfect conference record, the Minutewomen were the top seed in the A10 tournament. They traveled down to Ellen Ryan Field, home of the Saint Joseph’s Hawks. Tournament action began against VCU who the Minutewomen picked up a 4-0 victory against.
The final matchup came against the aforementioned Hawks. In a low-scoring defensive matchup, the Minutewomen fought hard but came up just short as the Hawks’ Sal Borensztein knocked a late shot home to give them a 2-1 victory.
The national tournament seemed like a long shot for the Minutemen, as only 18 teams could make the national tournament. With 10 bids automatically being given to conference winners and UMass ranked No. 15 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll it seemed like UMass would be one of the first teams left out.
However, they were selected as one of the at-large bids. They earned a first-round matchup against the UConn Huskies. The matchup will take place on Nov. 15 in Storrs, Connecticut on the Huskies home field.
Individually, the Minutewomen were one of the strongest teams in the nation. The strong play began on the back end with goalie Myrte van Herwijnen whose play earned her A10 Goalkeeper of the Year honors. She started all 20 games for the Minutewomen and posted a 1.11 goals-against average. Her .792 save percentage was good for No. 8 in the country.
The Minutewomen also played with a veteran defensive unit led by Paula Lorenzini, the A10 Defensive Player of the Year. A native of Argentina, Lorenzini has spent three seasons in Amherst and has emerged as one of the most dependable defensive talents UMass has.
Co-captain Hannah de Gast, the 2023 A10 Defensive Player of the Year also put up a strong season for UMass splitting time between the defensive unit and as a midfielder. De Gast added 19 points on the season including nine assists.
Rounding out the defensive unit was Elena Clococeanu. Despite being a defensive player, Clococeanu was a strong offensive presence for UMass as well. She was second on the team with eight goals through the season. In addition, she played a pivotal role in UMass’ penalty corner unit as well.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Minutewomen were led by co-captain Claire Danahy. Throughout five seasons with UMass, Danahy has played in 89 games. This season she had her best offensive season by far posting 27 points. She was tied for No. 8 in the nation with .65 assists per game.
Another UMass veteran, Dempsey Campbell who has played in 79 career games played a pivotal offensive role for the team. She added six goals and three assists on the offensive end for the Minutewomen.
However, no player may have been more surprising for UMass besides the emergence of freshman Elani Sherwood. After scoring five goals in her first six games, Sherwood never looked back. She finished the season with 22 points and earned A10 Rookie of the Year honors. Sherwood constantly attacks the ball and has one of the best sticks on the team.
Now the Minutewomen turn their focus to the UConn Huskies. The Minutewomen and Huskies faced off on Oct. 20 in Storrs where the Huskies grabbed a 1-0 victory. UConn led the matchup in shots 11-6 and in penalty corners 9-3.
UConn is also coming off of a victory in the Big East Championship with a 1-0 win against Temple. The Huskies have posted an impressive 17-3 record overall including an impressive 9-1 record at home.
In goal for the Huskies is Natalie McKenna. The second-year goaltender started all 20 games for the Huskies. She posted a 1.14 goals against average and a .747 save percentage. Her play also earned her the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The Huskies boast a strong offensive attack headlined by Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Juul Sauer. She posted 30 points on the season including 12 goals which was second highest on the team.
The only player to add more points was freshman forward Sophie Perschk. She came to the Huskies from Germany and led the team with 13 goals this season. Her 34 points on the season were tied for No. 14 in the country.
The Minutewomen will also need to look out for forward Julia Bressler. She was fourth on the team with 20 points. Bressler also notched the lone goal in the Oct. 20 contest earlier this season.
The Huskies have one of the most imposing offensive attacks in the nation. They scored 62 goals over the season or 3.10 per game which ranked No. 6 in the nation. The Minutewomen defenders were able to hold that offensive attack in check for most of their previous contests. However, the offense will need to step up in this rematch if UMass wants a chance to advance.
The Minutewomen will play on Friday, Nov. 15 at 12 p.m. The winner of the matchup between UMass and UConn will take on the winner of a separate game between Harvard and Syracuse.
