Big Second Half Keys Minutewomen to 4-1 Victory Over La Salle

PHILADELPHIA – Freshman Katherine Furry netted the first goal of her collegiate career and the Minutewomen exploded for a trio of tallies in the second half as University of Massachusetts field hockey claimed a 4-1 win over La Salle on Friday afternoon at DeVincent Field.

The victory improves UMass to 4-5 on the season and 2-0 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle is now 3-5 overall and 0-2 against A-10 opponents. Additionally, the outcome extends UMass' winning streak against La Salle to 15 consecutive matches, dating back to Oct. 10, 2004.

In the cage, freshman Johanna von dem Borne made three saves and redshirt freshman Megan Davies entered the match for the final five minutes, tallying two stops of her own. For La Salle, goalkeeper Emma Provost made four saves.

After the sides exchanged penalty corner opportunities, Furry finally put the Minutewomen on the board in the 25th minute. Classmate Sophie Johnson carried the ball into the circle before it was knocked away by an Explorers defender and came to Furry on the baseline. Furry took four steps toward the cage and slipped her shot past the left kicker of Provost.

That 1-0 advantage would be short-lived as La Salle evened the score and one-apiece on a Regan Dougherty tally set up by Logan Oh just two minutes later.

After exiting halftime in a 1-1 tie, sophomore Lucy Cooper netted what would prove to be the game-winning marker. In the 49th minute, senior Rachael Burchell found Cooper in the circle and after controlling the bouncing ball, a diving Cooper shoveled what appeared to be a one-handed attempt through Provost.

Junior Antonet Louw would provide the remaining two tallies on the afternoon to put the match out of reach. In the 62nd minute Louw danced around three defenders in the right side of the circle before coming to a stop and firing into the cage, culminating a beautiful sequence.

What do we think of this one, @ESPNAssignDesk @SportsCenter?#SCtop10 #Flagship?? https://t.co/l3nuXxjdkz
— UMass Field Hockey (@UMassFH) September 21, 2018

Less than two minutes later, the South Africa native potted another, this time on the strength of a penalty corner inserted by junior Sophie de Jonge.

Although La Salle finished with six corners to four for the Minutewomen, the visiting side came away with a 14-8 advantage in shots.

The Minutewomen will remain in Philadelphia following Friday's match and turn their attention to a Sun., Sept. 23 game at No. 16 Saint Joseph's. That game is slated for a noon start and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

For the latest news and updates around UMass field hockey, follow the team on Facebook (UMass Field Hockey), Twitter (@UMassFH) and Instagram (@UMassFieldHockey).

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