Minutewomen Advance To A-10 Championship In Dominant Fashion Over VCU, 4-0

PHILADELPHIA, PA. -- No. 1 seeded Massachusetts (15-4, 7-0 A-10) scored early and often, securing a dominant 4-0 shutout victory over VCU (11-7, 4-3) in the Atlantic 10 Championship Semifinal on Thursday at Ellen Ryan Field. With the win, Massachusetts earns its 27th A-10 Semifinal victory and advances to the A-10 Championship Final, playing the winner of No. 2 seeded Saint Joseph's and No. 3 Richmond on Saturday at 12 p.m.

The Minutewomen held the Rams to just six shots in the matchup, recording their ninth shutout of the season and fifth against an A-10 opponent. Massachusetts has now shutout VCU in back-to-back games, claiming a 2-0 win in Amherst to open the 2024 conference slate.

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It was a sweet semifinal here in Philly!!#RollUMass x #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/qvt0qV32MZ
— UMass Field Hockey (@UMassFH) November 7, 2024

Senior Hannah de Gast set the tone for the Minutewomen totaling two goals on the afternoon. The two goals mark the fourth and fifth of the year for De Gast, a new single-season career high.

Graduate Student Claire Danahy continued to be a catalyst in her own right, scoring the tournaments opening goal on a well-placed tip off a penalty corner. The goal marks her sixth of the year, tying her single-season career high.

Graduate Student Elena Clococeanu continued to help lead the Massachusetts backline in the shutout, while adding two assists, both coming off penalty corner situations. Freshman Elani Sherwood capped the game with goal of her own, finishing a pin-point assist from Neva Eisenga for her team-high ninth goal of the year.

VCU was led by Goalkeeper Morena Macera who tallied a team-high three shots on the day.

Breaking Down The Action

The Minutewomen scored the first goal of the Atlantic 10 Championship, as Claire Danahy tipped in the game's opener off of Massachusetts second penalty corner.
Massachusetts took the early 1-0 advantage into the second quarter, ending the first 15 minutes of play with a 3-1 advantage in shots.
De Gast made it 2-0 Massachusetts as she also scored off a penalty corner deflection, this time with the assist coming from Paula Lorenzini with 2:13 remaining in the first half.
UMass went into the halftime break holding the lead and a 5-1 advantage in shots and 3-1 edge in penalty corners.
De Gast doubled down on her goal total, lifting a beautiful ball over the VCU keeper to make it 3-0, just 4:44 into the second half.
Sherwood added the final insurance goal of the day, finishing a pass from Neva Eisenga for her ninth tally of the season and a 4-0 Minutewomen lead.
Massachusetts ended the third quarter with a 9-5 advantage in shots.
UMass recorded two shots in the final 15 minutes of play, but could not add another insurance goal on the afternoon, finishing the A-10 Semifinal with a 4-0 victory.

Notable Numbers

1: Massachusetts advanced as no. 1 overall seed in the 2024 A-10 Championship Tournament.
2: Massachusetts has now shutout VCU in back-to-back games this season.
5: De Gast set a new single-season career high with her fifth goal of the season.
6: Danahy scored her sixth goal of the season, tying her single-season career high.
6: The Minutewomen held VCU to just six shots on the afternoon.
7: The Minutewomen secured a 7-0 record in conference play, the first time since 2013.
9: Sherwood tallied her ninth goal of the season.
9: The Minutewomen recorded their ninth shutout of the season.
27: The Minutewomen advance to their 27th A-10 Championship Final.

A-10 History

Massachusetts now holds a 43-17 (.716) overall record in the A-10 Tournament, advancing to the Championship match in three consecutive seasons.
The Minutewomen own a 16-10 (.640) mark in Championship Final matchups all-time, falling 2-1 to Saint Joseph's in the 2023 A-10 Championship Final.
The Minutewomen now hold a 27-7 (.794) mark in semifinal matchups all-time.
UMass vs VCU continues to be a recurring postseason matchup over the last decade, with the all-time tournament record now sitting at 4-2 in favor of Massachusetts.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 13-6-0 record all-time against the Rams.

Up Next

The Minutewomen advance to the A-10 Championship Final, playing the winner of No. 2 seeded Saint Joseph's and No. 3 Richmond on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 12 p.m. at Ellen Ryan Field. Further information on opponent and streaming will be made available at a later date and can be found on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard