Minutewomen Claim Comeback Victory Over No. 6 Saint Joseph's

PHILADELPHIA, PA. -- Massachusetts (7-2, 2-0) claimed another thrilling comeback victory, with a 2-1 overtime win over Saint Joseph's (7-2, 1-1) on Friday at Ellen Ryan Field. The Minutewomen recorded their seventh straight win, defeating the Hawks for the first time since Oct. 15, 2021.

The matchup marks the third overtime contest against Saint Joseph's since 2021 and Massachusetts' second victory. With the victory the Minutewomen earn their first win versus a top-10 team since defeating no. 10 Boston College in double overtime on Oct 3, 2021.

Freshman Elani Sherwood continued her dazzling freshman campaign, scoring the game-winning goal for her sixth tally of the season. Sherwood led all players with three shots on goal and played a key ball into the circle to help generate the Massachusetts fourth quarter equalizer. The Surbiton, England native now ranks no. 3 in the Atlantic 10 in goals and points.

Fellow freshman Cara Falconer netted her second goal of the season, firing in the equalizer off a deflection late in the fourth quarter. Graduate Student Claire Danahy continued to be a catalyst in key moments, earning the circle entry and the assist on the game-winner. Danahy now leads the A-10 with eight assists on the season.

Graduate Student and reigning A-10 Offensive Player of The Week made her impact known on the defensive side of the pitch, securing a crucial defensive save.

Breaking Down The Action

The Minutewomen controlled much of the early action, recording the game's first two shots on goal, but could not break through as the first quarter ended 0-0 in Philadelphia.
Saint Joseph's returned the favor, owning a 2-0 shot advantage in the second period of play.
The Hawks forced a penalty corner with two seconds remaining, but a Van Herwijnen save sent both teams to halftime with the score 0-0.
Saint Joseph's recorded the first penalty corner of the second half, which resulted in a crucial defensive save from Clococeanu to keep the score 0-0 with 11:51 remaining in the third quarter.
The Hawks struck first as Lily Santi converted a penalty corner with 4:43 left in the third period.
UMass forced two penalty corners within the final two minutes of the third but could not find the net, going into the final period with the score 1-0.
The Minutewomen appeared to have found an equalizer just 1:35 into the final quarter, however Clococeanu's converted penalty corner was reversed upon official review.
Falconer found the first Minutewomen goal, netting a rebound after a long circle insert from Sherwood on the right sideline, equalizing the game at 1-1 with 2:07 left in regulation.
Despite receiving a yellow card the Minutewomen were able to hold the Hawks without a goal for the final two minutes of regulation, sending the matchup to overtime at one goal apiece.
The Minutewomen faced early overtime pressure due to the yellow card, but were able to run out the clock and get back to full strength.
Danahy found room to penetrate the circle shooting a backhand, Sherwood secured the rebound sending it in for the game winning score, 2-1.

Notable Numbers

1: The Minutewomen claim their first victory over Saint Joseph's since claiming a 1-0 overtime win on Oct. 15, 2021.
2: Falconer secured her second career goal on the afternoon.
2: The Minutewomen remained perfect in A-10 play, advancing to 2-0 on the season.
6: Sherwood recorded her team-high sixth goal of the season, she leads all A-10 freshmen in total goals.
7: Massachusetts earned its seventh straight win.
8: Danahy dished out her A-10 leading eighth assist of the season.
15: Sherwood now leads the squad with a team-high 13 points on the season.
23: Massachusetts ends the Hawks 23-game A-10 win streak and hand Hannah Prince her first conference loss as a head coach.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 34-13 advantage all-time against the Hawks.

Up Next

UMass heads to Harvard on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. for a regional clash in Cambridge, Mass. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

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