Women's Soccer Travels To Duquesne, Hosts Loyola Chicago As A-10 Play Continues

University of Massachusetts Women's Soccer Game Notes & Information
Game 12 & 13	Massachusetts (6-3-2, 3-1-0 Atlantic 10) at Duquesne (5-5-2, 2-0-2 Atlantic 10) \| Massachusetts (6-3-2, 3-1-0 Atlantic 10) vs. Loyola Chicago (5-5-2, 1-1-2 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Thursday, September 28 // 7 p.m. \| Sunday, October 1 // 1 p.m.
Location	Pittsburgh // Rooney Field \| Amherst, Mass. // Rudd Field
Watch	ESPN+ (Duquesne Only)
Live Statistics	SideArm Stats (Duquesne) StatBroadcast (Loyola Chicago)
Twitter	@UMassWSoccer
Instagram	UMass Women's Soccer
Facebook	UMass Women's Soccer

AMHERST, Mass. – Atlantic 10 Conference play rolls on as the University of Massachusetts women's soccer team sets for two this week, traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, September 28, for a 7 p.m., matchup with Duquesne on ESPN+, before hosting Loyola Chicago on Sunday, October 1, at 1 p.m.

Last Time Out
UMass holds a 6-3-2 overall record after going 2-0 last week, shutting out both VCU (1-0) and Davidson (5-0).

Against VCU, junior forward Chandler Pedolzky paced the Minutewomen to a 1-0 victory after one-touching the ball on a deflection from junior defender Juliana Ryan in the 64th minute. Senior goalkeeper Bella Mendoza recorded her fourth shutout of the season, while UMass earned its fourth home field win, including the fourth shutout at Rudd Field.

On the road at Davidson, a five-goal effort powered Massachusetts to a 5-0 shutout, marking the highest goal total of the season, and most since scoring five in the A-10 Tournament on October 31, 2021. Senior defender Hannah Peric and senior forward Lauren Robles scored their first goals of the season, while junior midfielder Emma Pedolzky notched her first goal as a Minutewomen in the win. Graduate student defender Fiona Kane recorded her first goal of her collegiate career in her 82nd career game, as senior forward Emily McCormack also tallied the first collegiate goal of her career. Mendoza garnered her fifth shutout of the season, while junior midfielder Bella Recinos registered a career-high two assists.

Defending Fort Rudd
Massachusetts has remained undefeated at Rudd Field, holding a 4-0 record. It is the first time the program has been undefeated following Rudd Field's opening in the fall of 2002, including ties, since both the 2021 and 2008 seasons, when the team won six straight contests.

Additionally, the four consecutive home wins for the Minutewomen ties the program with the 2018 season, while tying the 2015 season with four straight shutout victories on their home turf.

Keeping Track
Graduate student defender Fiona Kane placed her name on the program's career games started list, solely taking over fourth with 82 games started on Sunday at Davidson. She will be tied for third on Thursday with 83 career starts with Erica Iverson (1994-97) and will be tied for first with both Heidi Kocher (1991-94) and Amanda Thompson (1995-98), with 84 starts.

Kane is also tied for fifth, alongside Emma Kurowski (1996-99) and Rachel LeDuc (1992-95), in career games played with 82. On Thursday, she will tie for fourth with Erica Lynch (1993-96) with 83 games played, and tie for second with both Erica Iverson (1994-97) and Heidi Kocher (1991-94) with 84 career games played.

Kane became the all-time minutes leader, currently accumulating 7,418. She surpassed Danielle Dion (1994-97), who tallied 6,913 minutes of playing time and Briana Scurry (1990-93), who totaled 6,073 minutes over her career.

Mendoza etched her name in the record books after tallying 173 career saves to claim 10th place in the program, surpassing Danielle Kriscenski (2012-15) with 163 saves. With 11 more saves, the senior will tie for ninth with Carla DeSantis (1985-88).

Mendoza also is four shutouts away from tying for 10th in the program alongside Tammie Easton (1982) with 12. The San Ramon, California, native, has recorded eight career shutouts, garnering a career-high in a single season of five this year.

Statistically Speaking
The Minutewomen currently sit at the top of the A-10 standings, followed by Dayton, Duquesne and Saint Louis. UMass is third in points with 51, while tying for third in goals (17) and placing third in assists (17). Massachusetts has also allowed the fewest number of goals this season, only letting in seven by its opponents.

Junior forward Ashley Lamond leads the team with 10 points and four goals, while tying for second with two assists. She is currently tied for third with her goals total in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Six Minutewomen are tied for second in the A-10 with one game-winning goal.

Mendoza tallied over 904 minutes in net for the Minutewomen, averaging a .697 goals-against-average and a .863 save percentage. She has also accumulated five shutouts, combining for one on the year.

Mendoza has placed herself in the conference rankings, sitting first in goals-against-average with a .697. She also ranks first with a .863 save percentage and is tied for fifth in total saves with 44. She is also first in shutouts per game with a .455 average and is tied for the top spot with five total shutouts.

Scouting Duquesne
The Minutewomen hold a 17-5-1 advantage over the Dukes in the all-time series. The two programs first me on October 27, 1996, when UMass shutout Duquesne, 1-0, on the day. Massachusetts and Duquesne met last season at Rudd Field on September 29, with the Minutewomen winning 1-0.

Duquesne sits at 5-5-2 overall and 2-0-2 in league competition, with its two A-10 wins coming over Rhode Island (1-0) and St. Bonaventure (2-0). The Dukes ended in a 1-1 tie with Davidson, while resulting in a scoreless draw with Loyola Chicago.

Brianna Moore leads Duquesne in points with eight on a team-best four goals. Maya Matesa follows with seven points of her own on three goals and on assist, while Morgan Kulniszewski leads the team in assist with four. Matesa registered a team-best 26 shots, with 10 on goal. Maddy Neundorfer has tallied over 1,016 minutes in net for the Dukes, holding a 4-5-2 record with five solo shutouts and one combined. Neundorfer averages a 1.24 GAA and a .791 save percentage, stopping 53 shots.

Scouting Loyola Chicago
The Ramblers lead the all-time series over the Minutewomen, 0-1-0. UMass and Loyola Chicago have only met once, with the Ramblers joining the A-10 for the 2022-23 season. In the two program's first meeting Loyola Chicago defeated Massachusetts, 2-1, on the road last year.

Loyola Chicago holds 5-5-2 overall record, including a 1-1-2 A-10 record, earning its only league win over George Washington (4-0). The Ramblers two ties in the A-10 ended in scoreless draws with Duquesne and Saint Joseph's.

Taylor Harrison recorded a team-leading 12 points, with a team-best six goals. Zoey Hevey follows close behind with 10 points on three goals and four assists, tying for the most with Jaimee Cibulka. Hevey owns a team-high 31 shots, placing 17 shots on target. Naya Lipkens has played in all 12 contests for the Ramblers accumulating 1,080 minutes in goal, with a 1.25 GAA and a .727 save percentage. Smith has turned aside 40 of 122 shots faced, allowing 15 goals, and earning five shutouts on the season.

Weekly Honors
Kane collected the first Atlantic 10 weekly accolade of the year for the Minutewomen on September 5. She earned A-10 Defensive Player of the Week after playing a key role for UMass' defense to post back-to-back 2-0 shutouts over Syracuse (8/31) and Bryant (9/3). Kane combined for 176 total minutes, playing the full 90 minutes against Syracuse and 86 minutes against Bryant.

Mendoza garnered the second A-10 weekly award, earning A-10 Defensive Player of the Week on September 25. She tabbed the accolade after recording two complete shutouts after defeating VCU, 1-0, and Davidson, 5-0. Playing 180 minutes in net, Mendoza allowed no goals and had a perfect save percentage to earn her fourth and fifth shutouts of the season. She turned aside 13 total saves, including a season-best seven against VCU.

Looking Ahead
UMass will compete in one game on the week, taking a small break, before welcoming St. Bonaventure to Rudd Field on Sunday, October 8. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The Minutewomen will honor 11 seniors on the afternoon.

Scoreboard

Women's Soccer Travels To Duquesne, Hosts Loyola Chicago As A-10 Play Continues

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Players Mentioned

Fiona Kane

Ashley Lamond

Emily McCormack

Bella Mendoza

Chandler Pedolzky

Emma Pedolzky

Hannah Peric

Bella Recinos

Lauren Robles

Juliana Ryan

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics