Minutewomen Travel For Clash With Preseason No. 1 Northwestern

University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at #1 Northwestern
Date \| Time	Sunday, Sept. 1 \| 1 p.m. ET
Location	Evanston, Ill.
Twitter	@UMassFH
Instagram	UMass Field Hockey
Facebook	UMass Field Hockey

AMHERST, Mass. - UMass continues it's opening weekend, clashing with preseason no. 1 Northwestern on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 11 a.m in Evanston, Illinois. The game will be broadcast live on B1G+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

This week for the Minutewomen

series history

Saturday's matchup marks the 10th meeting between UMass and Northwestern, the Wildcats hold a slight 5-4 advantage all-time.
The two opponents faced off last season in Orono, Maine with Northwestern claiming a 3-0 victory.

Preseason Prowess

The Minutewomen come into the 2024 season with multiple preseason honors including four athletes being named to the NFHCA Division I Watch List.
Hannah de Gast, Myrte van Herwijnen, Claire Danahy and Dempsey Campbell were each named to the watch after stellar 2023 seasons.
Danahy and van Herwijnen earn selection to the list in back-to-back years, while de Gast and Campbell each received their debut place on the watch list.
Van Herwijnen and de Gast also received selection to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conferece Team after being named the 2023 A-10 Goalkeeper and Defensive Player of The Year respectively last season.

veteran Presence

UMass returns 18 athletes from their 2023 squad which finished with a 13-7 record, including an impressive 5-2 mark in Atlantic 10 play.
Massachusetts boasts five returning players, Hannah de Gast, Myrte van Herwijnen, Claire Danahy, Dempsey Campbell and Megan Carpenter, who earned A-10 Postseason Conference honors in 2023.
De Gast and van Herwijnen were each named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team entering the 2024 campaign.
De Gast, a 2023 NFHCA First-Team All-Region honoree, sat fifth on the team in points (12) and third in assists (4) last season. The Zeist, The Netherlands native was a key part of a Massachusetts defensive unit which stood top-25 in the nation in GAA (1.35), top-20 in defensive saves (5) and recorded five shutout victories including the final three games of the regular season.
Van Herwijnen looks poised to be one of the top goalkeepers in the country after earning A-10 Goalkeeper of The Year honors a season ago. The Zeist, Netherlands native led the A-10 and ranked no. 3 nationally in save percentage (.813). The goalkeeper also topped the A-10 and ranked no. 12 nationally in saves per game (6.13) while recording three double-digit save performances.
Campbell led the Minutewomen with nine goals across 20 games last season. The Saunderstown, Rhode Island ended the season on a hot streak, recording one of top individual performances of last season, Campbell scored two second half goals to help secure 3-2 overtime victory over VCU in the A-10 semifinal.

Home Turf Advantage

Over the last four seasons Massachusetts holds a stellar 27-8 record at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.
The Minutewomen have outscored opponents 85-48 in Amherst during that span.
UMass has proven to be dangerous in close games, tallying seven wins in overtime or penalty shootouts at home over the last four years.

On the Sideline

Head Coach Barb Weinberg enters her eighth season at the helm of the Minutewomen, holding a career record of 80-52 (.610). UMass has never finished outside of the top-4 in the A-10 standings during Weinberg's tenure.
Massachusetts assistants Simon van de Loo and Holly Turbill enter their second season in Amherst, looking to build on a successful first season at The Chuk.
Van de Loo brings 17 years of coaching experience to the Minutewomen, spending the 2022 season as an assistant coach for the Den Bosch men's field hockey team in The Netherlands
Turbill crosses the pond after serving as both U-16 Boys and U-18 Girls Talent Academy Head Coach at the Surbiton Hockey Club in Long Ditton, Surrey, England.

Up Next

UMass hosts Columbia for it's home opener on Friday, Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard

Minutewomen Travel For Clash With Preseason No. 1 Northwestern

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dempsey Campbell

Megan Carpenter

Claire Danahy

Hannah de Gast

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

Minutewomen Travel For Clash With Preseason No. 1 Northwestern

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dempsey Campbell

Megan Carpenter

Claire Danahy

Hannah de Gast

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