Women's Soccer Kicks Off Atlantic 10 Play Against Saint Louis, At St. Bonaventure

University of Massachusetts Women's Soccer Game Notes & Information
Game 9 & 10	Massachusetts (5-2-1) vs. Saint Louis (4-1-3) \| Massachusetts (5-2-1) at St. Bonaventure (1-6-1)
Date \| Time	Thursday, September 19 // 4 p.m. \| Sunday, September 22 // 1 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Rudd Field \| St. Bonaventure, N.Y. // Tom 80' and Michelle Marra Athletics Field Complex
Watch	ESPN+ Saint Louis \| St. Bonaventure
Live Statistics	StatBroadcast (Saint Louis) \| SideArm Stats (St. Bonaventure)
Twitter	@UMassWSoccer
Instagram	UMass Women's Soccer
Facebook	UMass Women's Soccer

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's soccer team kicks off Atlantic 10 competition this week with a pair of matches beginning at home on Rudd Field against Saint Louis at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, on ESPN+. The Minutewomen will play their first league game on the road on Sunday, September 22, at St. Bonaventure at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

Atlantic 10 Openers
Massachusetts holds a 4-1-2 record in A-10 openers dating back to a 3-1 win over Davidson to start the 2017 conference slate. The Minutewomen defeated George Washington, 2-0, last season, as Bella Recinos scored in the fourth minute before Ashley Lamond buried a shot three minutes later.

Last Time Out
The Minutewomen improved to 5-2-1 on the year after shutting out UMass Lowell at Rudd Field, 1-0 on Sunday. The win pushed the Minutewomen's undefeated streak to six, while picking up their fourth straight victory. It also marked the fifth clean sheet in the program's last six games.

The second half saw the Minutewomen get on the board at the 50:44 mark, scoring the lone goal to make it a 1-0 game. Massachusetts took a corner in the 51st minute, that was headed down by graduate student defender Hannah Peric in the six-yard box. Graduate student forward Karina Groff chipped the ball towards the net, sending it past the River Hawks goalkeeper for her first goal of the season. Peric's assist also was her first of the year.

UMass continued to control the pace throughout the second half and defensively held UMass Lowell to three shots. The Minutewomen tallied 18 shots in the final 45 minutes with several scoring opportunities.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Bella Mendoza recorded her fifth shutout of the year, while collecting the 16th of her career to solely take over eighth place in the record book. Mendoza stopped three shots in 90 minutes of play without allowing a goal on the afternoon.

In The Rankings
Massachusetts earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches East Region Rankings for the third straight week, currently sitting in ninth. The team is behind Saint Louis, Xavier, Georgetown, UConn, Harvard, Princeton, Creighton and Butler while ranking ahead of Dayton.

Mendoza is tied for sixth in the NCAA rankings with five shutouts on the season, and is one of only three goalkeepers in the A-10 to sit within the top-30.

Record Book Tracking
Mendoza placed her name on the program's career saves list, ranking eighth after collecting her 228th save against UMass Lowell.

Mendoza earned her fifth shutout of the year against in the 1-0 win over UMass Lowell, etching her name in the career records for the program. The San Ramon, California, native, solely took over eighth with 16 career shutouts.

Additionally, graduate student midfielder Ella Curry is one games away from putting her name on the career games played list to tie for 10th with 79 games played. She is also four games away from tying for eighth with 75 games started.

Defending Fort Rudd
Massachusetts defended its home turf with 1-0 win over UMass Lowell on Sunday, pushing its regular season home slate to an 9-0-2 record, continuing a record that spans from August 31, 2023. The program's current home record surpasses the 1993 season undefeated home record, which stood at 8-0-2. Last year, the team finished the regular season with a home record of 6-0-1.

The Minutewomen's undefeated home record last season marked the first time for the program since the 1993 season (8-0-2). It also marked the first time in program history UMass went undefeated at Rudd Field since its opening in 2002.

Statistically Speaking
UMass is seventh in points in the Atlantic 10 with 37, while also tied for sixth in goals (13) and in assists (11). Massachusetts ranks first in shutouts with five on the season, sitting ahead of Saint Louis, Saint Joseph's, Loyola Chicago and Dayton.

Recinos leads the team in points (nine) and goals (four), while adding an assist on the season. She is currently 10th in the A-10 with four goals, so far, this season. Recinos also leads the team in game-winning goals with two and is tied for second in the conference.

Senior forward Chandler Pedolzky leads the team in assists with three on the year, and follows close behind with seven total points, notching two goals. In the A-10, Pedolzky is tied for fourth in assists.

Mendoza tallied 720 minutes in net for the Minutewomen, averaging a .750 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .786 save percentage. She has also accumulated five shutouts on the year.

Mendoza has placed herself in the conference rankings, sitting tied for second in goals-against-average with a .750. She also ranks seventh in total saves with 22, while placing first in shutouts with five, averaging .625 shutouts per game.

Scouting Saint Louis
The Billikens lead 11-1-3 in the all-time series against the Minutewomen. UMass and Saint Louis first met on October 16, 2005, in Amherst, where SLU came away with a 1-0 victory. The two programs met last season in Saint Louis, as the Billikens topped the Minutewomen, 6-0, on the day.

Massachusetts picked up its only win over Saint Louis on October 3, 2010, defeating the Billikens, 1-0, at Rudd Field.

Saint Louis stands at 4-1-3 on the year, and enters Thursday's contest on a two-game win streak. Emily Gaebe leads the Billikens with 15 points with a team-best six goals and three assists. Hannah Larson tallied three assists, as well, on the year, and a goal following Gaebe with five points. Three Billikens scored two goals each to collect four points on the season. Gaebe and Larson lead the team in shots with 34 and 13, respectively, as Gaebe placed 20 on target.

Emily Puricelli has played the most minutes in goal for Saint Louis, accumulating 675 minutes in eight games. She holds the 4-1-3 record and has three shutouts, including one combined shutout with Nimu Karani. Puricelli has a .800 GAA and a .870 save percentage, allowing only six goals and making 40 saves.

Scouting St. Bonaventure
The Minutewomen lead the all-time series over the Bonnies, 20-4-2. UMass and St. Bonaventure first met on October 17, 1993, as Massachusetts downed St. Bonaventure, 4-0. The two teams met last season, resulting in a 0-0 draw. The Minutewomen last defeated the Bonnies, 1-0, on October 2, 2022, on the road.

St. Bonaventure holds a 1-6-1 overall record, earning its lone win over Youngstown State (2-0) and tying Binghamton (1-1). Evie Underhill leads the team in points with three, registering a goal and an assist. Along with Underhill, four more Bonnies have a goal, while Alessia Donia has a team-leading two assists. Torrie Grant-Clavijo sits atop the leaderboard in shot with eight, including six on goal.

Jael Schubert has a 1-3-1 record after playing 456 minutes in net for St. Bonaventure. She registered a 2.36 GAA and a .676 save percentage, allowing 12 goals and making 25 saves on the season. Chiara Gottinger (0-2-0) and Juliana Catellano (0-1-0) have also spent time in goal for the Bonnies. Schubert and Gottinger combined for one shutout on the year.

St. Bonaventure will compete on Thursday at George Washington at 3 p.m., prior to Sunday's match.

Looking Ahead
Massachusetts continues A-10 competition with two matches at Rudd Field on Thursday, September 26, against Fordham at 4 p.m., before welcoming Rhode Island on Sunday, September 29, for a 1 p.m. contest. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Scoreboard

Women's Soccer Kicks Off Atlantic 10 Play Against Saint Louis, At St. Bonaventure

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Players Mentioned

Ella Curry

Karina Groff

Ashley Lamond

Bella Mendoza

Chandler Pedolzky

Hannah Peric

Bella Recinos

Scoreboard

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