Massachusetts Falls To Saint Joseph's In A-10 Championship Final

RICHMOND, Va. -- Massachusetts (13-7, 5-2) fell 2-1 to Saint Joseph's (16-4, 7-0) in a hotly contested Atlantic 10 Championship Finals matchup on Saturday afternoon in Richmond, Virginia. It was the Minutewomen's 26th appearance in the A-10 Championship Final, reaching each of the last two seasons.

The Minutewomen battled for the full 60 minutes of action, owning the advantage in shots (7-6) and shots on goal (6-4), including a 5-0 shot advantage in the second period.

Facing a 1-0 deficit heading into the second period, Massachusetts turned up the offensive pressure drawing two penalty corners. Junior Hannah de Gast converted the Minutewomen's second penalty corner of the quarter, providing the equalizer. The goal marks her fourth of the season and first of the A-10 Tournament.

Four Minutewomen were selected to the A-10 All-Tournament team in a post-game ceremony at Cary Street Field. Claire Danahy, Dempsey Campbell, Mali Herberhold and Myrte van Herwijnen each received postseason honors for their play over the championship weekend.

Breaking Down The Action

Saint Joseph's struck first as Lily Santi opened the scoring with just five seconds remaining in the first period.
Hannah De Gast scored an equalizer for Massachusetts, finding net off a penalty corner with 3:11 remaining in the first half.
The Hawks claimed the lead off a Hailey Bitters goal with 4:58 remaining in the third period.
Despite consistent offensive pressure in the final frame, the Minutewomen could not find the equalizer, losing 2-1 in regulation.

A-10 History

Massachusetts now holds a 42-17 (.719) overall record in the A-10 Tournament, advancing to the Championship match in back-to-back seasons.
The Minutewomen own a 16-10 (.640) mark in Championship Final matchups all-time, falling 3-0 to Saint Joseph's in the 2022 A-10 Championship Final.
UMass owns a 9-3 record over Saint Joseph's in the A-10 Tournament, winning nine consecutive matchups from 1992 to 2015.

Notable Numbers

2: Massachusetts advanced to the A-10 Championship for the second consecutive season, playing Saint Joseph's in back-to-back years.
4: Four Minutewomen were awarded A-10 All-Tournament Team honors.
7: Massachusetts owned the advantage in total shots (7-6) and shots on goal (6-4).
26: The Minutewomen played in their 26th A-10 Championship Final all-time.
104: Van Herwijnen now has 104 total saves across 17 games.

Up Next

Massachusetts will await the NCAA Selection show which will take place Sunday, Nov. 5 at 10 p.m. Further updates can be found on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

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