Third-Seeded Field Hockey Treks to Saint Joseph's for Atlantic 10 Championship

University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes & Information
Game 20	Atlantic 10 Semifinals No. 3 seed Massachusetts (10-9) vs. No. 2 seed VCU (11-6)
Date // Time	Friday, Nov. 2 // 2 p.m.
Location	Saint Joseph's University Merion Station, Pa. // Ellen Ryan Field
Series History	All-Time: Massachusetts leads, 8-2 In the Atlantic 10 Championship: Massachusetts leads, 2-0 Last Meeting: VCU 2, Massachusetts 0; Oct. 7, 2018
Live Statistics	Presto Stats
Watch	United States: ESPN+ International: Atlantic 10 Network
Directions	Driving Directions
Tickets	Available at Ellen Ryan Field Adults, Seniors & Kids: $5 Atlantic 10 Students: Free (with valid student ID)
Tournament Information	Championship Central

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Setting The Scene
The 2018 Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Championship begins on Fri., Nov. 2 with Semifinal play from Ellen Ryan Field on the campus of Saint Joseph's University. Semifinal matches will take place at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with the Championship slated for 2 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 3.

Seeded third, Massachusetts will tangle with No. 2 seed VCU in the the second semifinal contest following the first matchup between top-seeded St. Joe's and No. 4 Richmond.

Recap in a Minute
Massachusetts closed the regular season swinging momentum in its favor, claiming victory in its final three games as well as five of its last seven. Most recently, the Minutewomen grabbed a 4-3 win over Saint Louis on Sun., Oct. 28, taking a back-and-forth match at the Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.

Graduate student defender Clodagh Moloney and junior midfielder Sophie de Jonge had 70-minute showings on the pitch once again and Moloney capped the match with a second half penalty stroke, her first goal as a Minutewoman. Sophomore forward Lucy Cooper scored twice, including the eventual game-winning marker and in the cage, freshman goalkeeper Johanna von dem Borne and redshirt freshman Megan Davies each saw one half of action.

The All-Time Series Between Massachusetts and VCU
After dropping the initial meeting of the teams in 2001, UMass rattled off eight consecutive victories against the Rams before VCU grabbed a 2-0 win in Richmond, Virginia earlier this season. Emily McNamara, the nation's leading goal scorer, had both tallies that day, including one with goalkeeper Johanna von dem Borne lifted for a kicking back. That is significant because with the score still 1-0 in the second half, the Minutewomen appeared to equalize before a back stick was ruled, washing out the tally.

The sides have met twice in Atlantic 10 Championship play, with UMass coming out on top of the Rams in both Semifinal contests hosted on its home pitch. The Minutewomen advanced to the Championship last season with a 2-1 decision, while Lauren Allymohamed scored in double overtime to propel the squad to the 2013 title game after a 1-0 outcome.

Call 'Em The Comeback Kids
UMass' three-game winning streak stands thanks in part to two gritty second half comeback efforts. At Northeastern on Oct. 19, the Minutewomen trailed 4-0 before junior Antonet Louw buried four goals in 24 minutes to force overtime. Louw then potted the game-winner in the 89th minute to complete one of the most epic rallies in program history and the biggest second half turnaround at UMass since at least 2002.

Six days later at UMass Lowell, the Maroon and White were faced with a 1-0 score before Louw equalized in the 65th minute. Sophomore Lucy Cooper then one-timed a beautiful pass from classmate Bailey McNamara for the game-winning tally in the 67th minute.

Tales From The Cage
With the graduation of Emily Hazard following the 2017 season, it was a guarantee that UMass would welcome a new goalkeeper to the cage this season. As the 2018 campaign has progressed, both Johanna von dem Borne and redshirt freshman Megan Davies have seen time with von dem Borne holding down the starting role throughout the regular season.

Von dem Borne is averaging 5.89 saves per game, entering the weekend ranked second in the conference and 18th nationally. Davies has appeared in eight matches and was instrumental in the comeback win at Northeastern (Oct. 19). She made seven saves in the final 45 minutes that night, including a flurry of three quick stops early in overtime to continue the match.

Top Tweets

The bracket for the 2018 #A10FH Championship is set! You can watch all the action from Ellen Ryan Field on ESPN+ & the A-10 Network.

1. @SJUHawks_FH (16-2, 8-0)
2. @VCURamsFH (11-6, 7-1)
3. @UMassFH (10-9, 6-2)
4. @SpiderHockey (7-11, 4-4)

More info: https://t.co/ziy7dVE6hQ pic.twitter.com/KjOLNEYHiK
— Jake Eisenberg (@JakeEisenberg_) October 29, 2018

Our UMass Student-Athletes of the Week presented by @umassfive
helped their respective teams to a combined 5-0 record last week!

??Marquis Young, @UMassFootball
??John Leonard, @UMassHockey
??Lucy Cooper, @UMassFH

?? https://t.co/CRrYoaeACT #Flagship ?? pic.twitter.com/mYDFaljBQz
— UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) October 30, 2018

One more ?? back at the 'W'

Thanks as always to @UMassSportsNet for the ??!#RollUMass | #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/WZvYDuVZ1d
— UMass Field Hockey (@UMassFH) October 29, 2018

Scoreboard