Women’s Soccer Hosts Syracuse, Bryant At Rudd Field

University of Massachusetts Women's Soccer Game Notes & Information
Game 5 & 6	Massachusetts (1-1-2) vs. Syracuse (2-2-0) \| Massachusetts (1-1-2) vs. Bryant (1-1-1)
Date \| Time	Thursday, August 31 // 4 p.m. \| Sunday, September 3 // 1 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. (Rudd Field)
Watch	ESPN+ Thursday (Syracuse) \| Sunday (Bryant)
Live Statistics	StatsBroadcast Thursday (Syracuse) \| Sunday (Bryant)
Parking Information	Fans will need to park in the Lot 14 off Stadium Drive (across from Sortino Field). For a full map, please click here.
Twitter	@UMassWSoccer
Instagram	UMass Women's Soccer
Facebook	UMass Women's Soccer

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts women's soccer returns to Rudd Field on Thursday, August 31, for its home opener against Syracuse at 4 p.m., before hosting Bryant on Sunday, September 3, for a 1 p.m. contest. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Update Parking Information
Move-In weekend will take place from Thursday, August 31, through Sunday, September 3. To access Rudd Field, fans should enter Stadium Drive off N Hadley Road, as all other entrances to Stadium Drive cannot be accessed. Additionally, fans will need to park in the Lot 14 off Stadium Drive (across from Sortino Field). For a full map, please click here.

Due to significant traffic throughout the weekend, fans should plan for extra time for all sporting events on campus.

Promotions
On Sunday against Bryant, the Minutewomen will celebrate the start of school with a Fall Semester Kick Off. Free pizza will be served for students – while supplies last. The game will also be Pediatric Cancer Awareness Day and International Students Day.

Last Time Out
The Minutewomen sit at 1-1-2 overall after tying with UMass Lowell, 2-2, last Thursday, and falling short at Yale, 2-1, last Sunday.

Junior midfielder Bella Recinos and senior forward Grace Pinkus each scored a goal in the 2-2 draw at UMass Lowell for Massachusetts. Recinos notched her goal in the eighth minute of the contest with an assist from sophomore forward Nia Hislop, as the two teams headed into halftime knotted up at one apiece. A header from Pinkus into the back of the net off senior midfielder Ella Curry's free kick opportunity in the 48th minute put UMass back on top 2-1, but a late goal from the River Hawks resulted in the tie.

At Yale, junior forward Ashley Lamond broke through in the scoring first to give the Minutewomen the 1-0 advantage in the 29th minute of the game. The Bulldogs tied up the game in the 54th minute and took the lead they held in the 58th minute.

Keeping Track
Graduate student defender Fiona Kane placed her name on the program's career games started list, tying for seventh with Holly Hellmuth (1989-92), April Kater (1987-90) and Madison Smith (2012-15) after starting in her 75th contest at Yale on Sunday. She will hold seventh in the record book solely with her next start at 76 games started.

Kane is also four games away from tying for ninth in career games played with 79. With the feat, she will tie with Danielle Dion (1994-97), Lauren Skesavage (2010-13) and Amy Trunk (1990-93).

Mendoza is 20 saves away from etching her name in the career records for the program. With 20 more saves, she would tie Danielle Kriscenski (2012-15) for 10th with 163 career saves.

Scouting Syracuse
The Orange lead the all-time series, 3-0-1, over the Minutewomen. The two programs first met on September 4, 1999, at a neutral site in Agawam, Massachusetts, where the match went into double overtime and resulted in a 2-2 draw. UMass and Syracuse last met on August 21, 2015, as the Orange topped the Minutewomen, 6-0, on the day.

Syracuse holds a 2-2 overall record on the season, picking up wins over Siena (3-0) and Binghamton (2-1). The two losses came to Delaware in a close 1-0 contest and to Auburn, 2-1. Hannah Pilley and Erin Flurey lead the Orange with four points apiece, as Pilley sits atop the leaderboard with two goals and Flurey has a team-best two assists, while adding one goal. Alyssa Abramson and Kendyl Lauher have each notched a game-winning goal for Syracuse. In goal, Shea Vanderbosch saved 21 shots overall and has let four goals find the back of the net.

Scouting Bryant
The Minutewomen lead the all-time series with the Bulldogs, 6-1-0. First meeting in Amherst on September 10, 2008, Massachusetts defeated Bryant 2-0 on the day. The two teams last met on September 2, 2021, at Rudd Field, where the Minutewomen came away with the 2-1 victory in overtime over Bryant.

Bryant sits at 1-1-1 on the season, winning its season opener at Rhode Island, 1-0, before ending in a scoreless draw at Stony Brook and dropping a tight 2-1 match at Holy Cross last Sunday. Makayla Griffin has the lone goal for the Bulldogs to lead the team with two points. Goalkeepers Kathryn McNeil and Selena Negron have split time in net for Bryant, as McNeil has made seven saves overall and Negron has stopped 12 and allowed only two goals.

The Bulldogs will compete against Fairfield on Thursday night prior to Sunday afternoon's contest at Rudd Field.

Commonwealth Connections
Junior Emma Pedolzky joined the Minutewomen for the 2023 season after spending two seasons at Bryant. While with the Bulldogs, Pedolzky recorded 23 points on eight goals and seven assists and earned All-NEC Rookie Team and All-NEC Second Team honors. She also tabbed the team's Rookie of the Year and team's MVP accolades.

Looking Ahead
UMass will be back on the road, beginning Thursday, September 7, at UAlbany for a 7 p.m. contest in Albany, New York, before heading to Piscataway, New Jersey, to take on Rutgers at p.m., on Sunday, September 10.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Ella Curry

Nia Hislop

Fiona Kane

Ashley Lamond

Emma Pedolzky

Grace Pinkus

Bella Recinos

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics