Minutewomen Advance To A-10 Championship Final After Comeback Victory Over VCU

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Minutewomen mounted a furious comeback on Thursday afternoon as sophomore Mali Herberhold netted an OT game-winner to lift Massachusetts (13-6, 5-2) to a 3-2 victory over VCU (13-6, 5-2) and advance to the A-10 Championship Final.

Faced with a 2-0 deficit in the final 10 minutes of regulation, Junior Dempsey Campbell scored two consecutive goals just 2 minutes apart to equalize the score and give the Minutwomen the momentum. The two goals marked the second consecutive multi-goal game for Campbell, as she scored two against Lock Haven in the regular season finale on Friday, Oct. 27.

Massachusetts carried that momentum into the first overtime period, applying consistent pressure offensively in seven-on-seven play. Herberhold would net the dagger, penetrating into the shooting circle and lifting a ball over the VCU keeper and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Sophomore goalkeeper Myrte Van Herwijnen was once again excellent in net, recording 10 saves across 62 minutes of play. Van Herwijnen has now tallied double-digit saves three times this season.

Match Quote

"With the score at 2-0 many would think it was over," assistant coach Holly Turbill remarked. "I think Claire Danahy put in a captains performance to drag us back to a 2-2 draw, alongside some quality finishes from Dempsey Cambpell. The girls deserve this after the season they have had."

Breaking Down The Action

Massachusetts stood strong defensively in the first half of play recording five saves and stopping six VCU penalty corners to hold the score at a 0-0 tie heading into the final 30 minutes of regulation.
VCU broke the ice 10 minutes into the third quarter of play, putting the Rams up 1-0 heading into the final frame.
Skyler Padgett scored again for VCU making it a 2-0 advantage with 13:38 remaining in regulation
Dempsey Campbell opened the scoring for UMass, netting a her eighth of the year off a Herberhold assist to make it 2-1 with 11:58 left in the fourth quarter.
Campbell quickly doubled up scoring off a rebound with 9:45 on the clock to make it a 2-2 scoreline in the final quarter of regulation.
Mali Herberhold scored the game-winning goal

Notable Numbers

2: Massachusetts advances to the A-10 Championship for the second consecutive season, playing Saint Joseph's in back-to-back years.
3: Van Herwijnen tallied her third double-digit save performance of the season.
5: Herberhold notched her fifth game-winning goal of the season, marking a conference and team-high.
6: With the win the Minutewomen extend their winning streak to six games.
9: With her second consecutive two-goal game Campbell added to her team-high nine goals
102: With 10 saves on the day, Van Herwijnen now has 102 total saves across 16 games.

A-10 History

Massachusetts now holds a 42-16 (.719) overall record in the A-10 Tournament, advancing to the Championship match in back-to-back seasons.
The Minutewomen now own a 26-7 (.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 continues to be a hotly-contested postseason matchup over the last decade, with the all-time tournament record now sitting at 3-2 in favor of Massachusetts.
With today's performance four of the five tournament matchups between UMass and VCU all-time have been decided in overtime, with VCU claiming the previous two postseason meetings (2021, 2018) between the two schools.

Up Next

With the victory Massachusetts advances to the A-10 Championship Final against no.1-seed Saint Joseph's. 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