No. 2 Seeded Minutewomen Face VCU In A-10 Semifinals

University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Notes & Information
Matchup	No. 2 Massachusetts vs. No. 3 VCU
Date \| Time	Thursday, Nov. 2 \| 2 p.m. ET
Location	Richmond, Va. (Cary Street Field)
Twitter	@UMassFH
Instagram	UMass Field Hockey
Facebook	UMass Field Hockey

AMHERST, Mass. - The no. 2-seeded Minutewomen begin postseason play as they take on no. 3-seeded VCU in the A-10 Championship Semifinal on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ESPN+ and can followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

This week for the Minutewomen

The Matchup

Friday's matchup marks the 17th meeting between UMass and VCU, the Minutewomen hold a 10-6 record all-time against the Rams.
The Minutewomen battled VCU earlier this season in Richmond, falling 1-0 on Friday, Sept. 29 at Cary Street Field.

A-10 History

Massachusetts holds a 41-16 (.719) overall record in the A-10 Tournament, advancing to the Championship match in 2022.
The Minutewomen own a 25-7 (.781) mark in semifinal matchups all-time, claiming a 4-2 victory over Lock Haven in the 2022 A-10 Championship Semifinal.
UMass vs VCU has been a hotly-contested postseason matchup over the last decade, with the all-time tournament record currently sitting at a 2-2 stalemate.
Three of the four tournament matchups all-time have been decided in overtime, with VCU claiming the last two postseason meetings (2021, 2018) between the two schools.

Where we Rank

Massachusetts enters postseason play as a consensus top-20 team currently ranking No. 20 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the NCAA RPI.
The Minutewomen have proven to be one of the top defensive teams in the nation ranking top-25 in the nation in GAA (1.28) and top-20 in defensive saves (5) while recording five shutout victories across 18 games.
Sophomore Myrte van Herwijnen has shown to be one of the top net-minders in college, leading the A-10 and ranking no. 3 nationally in save percentage (.821).
Graduate student Josie Rossbach has been a crucial anchor for the UMass defense, leading the Atlantic 10 and ying for eighth nationally with four defensive saves.

Story OF THE SEASON

The Minutewomen closed out the regular season with their third consecutive shutout win, claiming a 3-0 victory over Lock Haven to clinch the no. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Dempsey Campbell powered the UMass attack, recording two goals to mark her first career multi-goal game.
UMass closed out their home slate with a shutout victory, earning a 3-0 win over Dartmouth on senior day at Gladchuk Field.
Massachusetts scored a season-high five goals to secure a dominant 5-0 shutout victory over Richmond on Friday, Oct. 20. The five goals mark the most for Massachusetts since they recorded six against Saint Louis on Sept. 16, 2022.
The Minutewomen picked up a conference win, as a Jess Beech goal lifted Massachusetts to a 3-2 victory over Davidson in North Carolina on Friday, Sept. 13.
Massachusetts claimed a 3-1 victory over UConn on Sunday, Oct. 8 at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex. The victory gives the Minutewomen their first win streak over the Huskies since 1993 and marks their 15th win in the all-time series.
Sophomore goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen earned her third A-10 Defensive Player of The Week honor on Tuesday, Oct.10 after tying her season-high with 14 total saves in a the victory over UConn.
Massachusetts dropped a thriller to no. 14 Saint Joseph's on Sunday, Oct. 6 falling 2-1 in a double overtime conference clash.
Van Herwijnen led the way for the Minutewomen in a 2-1 penalty shootout win over Yale, recording 14 total saves. The Huizen, The Netherlands native was a stalwart in net, stopping all four Yale shootout attempts, boosting the Minutewomen to victory.
With its win over Yale Massachusetts claims its second overtime victory of 2023 and seventh at Gladchuk over the last four seasons.
Van Herwijnen earned her second A-10 Defensive Player of The Week honor on Tuesday, Sept. 26 after 15 total saves across two games.
The Minutewomen earned a shutout victory against La Salle in their Atlantic 10 home opener on Friday, Sept. 22. Graduate Student Steph Gottwals led the charge offensively for Massachusetts recording her first career two-goal game.
Massachusetts tallied three goals in consecutive games, claiming a 3-1 victory over Saint Louis to open A-10 conference play. Mali Herberhold opened the scoring in the matchup, recording a goal in back-to-back games.
UMass claimed a 3-2 victory over Maine on Sunday, Sept. 10 as Hannah de Gast led the offense with one goal and one assist in the Minutewomen's fourth victory of the season.
The Minutewomen claimed their first shutout victory of the 2023 campaign, defeating Lafayette 1-0 in Amherst, Mass on Sunday, Sept. 3. Sophomore Alexa Collins scored her first career goal to lift UMass to the Sunday afternoon victory.
Van Herwijnen was selected as the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of The Week on Tuesday, Sept. 5 after recording eight total saves over two games against Lafayette and Harvard. Van Herwijnen tallied three saves in the final 30 minutes of play to close out an all-around defensive effort for the Minutewomen against Lafayette and lift them to an impressive 3-1 record to start 2023.
UMass opened their 2023 campaign with two road victories against No. 19 UAlbany and Quinnipiac.
The Aug. 25th win over No. 19 UAlbany was decided in double-overtime with graduate student Emilie Keij scoring the game-winning goal off a penalty corner to lift the Minutewomen to victory.

Experience Everywhere

UMass features 18 athletes from their 2022 squad which finished with a 14-6 record, including an impressive 6-1 mark in Atlantic 10 play.
Massachusetts boasts five returning players, Jess Beech, Myrte van Herwijnen, Claire Danahy, Mali Herberhold and Josie Rossbach, who earned A-10 All-Conference selection in 2022
Beech, Herberhold and van Herwijnen were each named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team entering the 2023 campaign.
The Minutewomen retain significant production on offense including bringing back all three of their top point scorers from a year ago in Herberhold (23), Beech (19) and Danahy (14).
Sophomore Mali Herberhold, the 2022 A-10 Rookie of The Year, has one again been a force on the offensive end ranking second on the team in goals (6) and leading the way in points (17) this season.
Van Herwijnen continues to be one of the top goalkeepers in the A-10, leading the conference in total saves (92), saves per game (6.13) while ranking third in goals against average (1.293).

Home Turf Advantage

Over the last three seasons Massachusetts holds a stellar 27-8 record at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.
The Minutewomen have outscored opponents 91-46 in Amherst during that span.
UMass has proven to be dangerous in close games, tallying seven wins in overtime or penalty shootouts at home over the last three years.

On the Sideline

Head Coach Barb Weinberg enters her seventh season at the helm of the Minutewomen, holding a career record of 79-50 (.603). UMass has never finished outside of the top-4 in the A-10 standings during Weinberg's tenure.
Massachusetts welcomes two new assistants for the 2023 campaign in Simon van de Loo and Holly Turbill.
Van de Loo brings 16 years of coaching experience to the Minutewomen, having most recently spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach for the Den Bosch men's field hockey team in The Netherlands
Turbill comes to Amherst after serving as both U-16 Boys and U-18 Girls Talent Academy Head Coach at the Surbiton Hockey Club in Long Ditton, Surrey, England.

Up Next

With a victory the Minutewomen will advance to the A-10 Championship Final against the either no.1-seed Saint Joseph's or no. 4-seeded La Salle. The Championship Final will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 12 p.m., with live streaming available on ESPN+. Live updates can be found on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Jess Beech

Dempsey Campbell

Alexa Collins

Claire Danahy

Hannah de Gast

Steph Gottwals

Mali Herberhold

Emilie Keij

Josie Rossbach

Myrte van Herwijnen