Massachusetts Claims Shootout Win Over JMU, 2-1 (3-1)

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- No. 17 Massachusetts (12-2, 5-1 MAC) claimed its third shootout victory of the season, 2-1 (3-1), over James Madison (8-7, 3-3 MAC) on Friday at the JMU Field Hockey Complex. Goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen denied three consecutive shootout attempts to lift the Minutewomen to their fifth conference win.

Massachusetts earned its seventh victory over the Dukes all-time and the first in Mid-American play.

Senior Savanna Henderson scored Massachusetts' lone goal in regulation, tipping home the equalizer off an assist from Elena Clococeanu. The goal marks the first of the season for Henderson and the second of her career.

Van Herwijnen made seven saves in the matchup, facing eight shots. The senior denied three shootout attempts by the Dukes, helping the Minutewomen remain perfect in shootouts this season.

The Dukes were led Avery Ruckman who scored the team's lone goal.

Breaking Down The Action

James Madison got on the board first as Avery Ruckman found the net with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter.
Massachusetts opened the second quarter with a pair of penalty corners in the opening minute, however they could not find the equalizer on shots from Elena Clococeanu and Lina Kroeger.
The Minutewomen held the advantage in shots, 6-5, and penalty corners, 4-3, at the half, but could not find an equalizer after 30 minutes.
Massachusetts drew four penalty corners in the third quarter, but the score 1-0 in favor of JMU heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
Savanna Henderson tipped home the equalizer for Massachusetts, making it 1-1 with 13:41 remaining in regulation.
The Minutewomen held the advantage in shots, 5-1, and penalty corners, 6-1, in the fourth quarter but remained in search of the game-winning goal at the end of regulation.
Myrte van Herwijnen made a spectacular diving save with 6:28 remaining in the first overtime to keep the score level at 1-1.
The Minutewomen nearly scored the game-winning goal as Alexa Collins sent a breakaway opportunity just wide with 15 seconds remaining in the first overtime period.
Massachusetts had another opportunity at a golden goal as JMU saved a shot from Mia Smith with 6:01 remaining in the second overtime.
The score remained deadlocked at 1-1 through 80 minutes of play, sending the game into a penalty shootout.
After ceding a successful attempt in the first round of the penalty shootout, van Herwijnen stopped three consecutive attempts.
Elani Sherwood found the net in the fourth round of the penalty shootout to secure the Massachusetts' victory.

Notable Numbers

1: Savanna Henderson scored her first goal of season and second of her career.
4: Elena Clococeanu recorded her fourth assist of the season.
7: Myrte van Herwijnen made seven saves in the contest.
18: Massachusetts drew a season-high 18 penalty corners on the afternoon.
19: The Minutewomen tallied 19 shots in the contest, six on goal.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 7-3-0 record all-time against the Dukes.
The matchup marks the first between the two programs since Massachusetts claimed a 1-0 victory on Sept. 12, 2009 in Albany, New York.

Up Next

The Minutewomen travel to North Carolina, challenging App State on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Elena Clococeanu

Savanna Henderson

Fiene Jenniskens

Lina Kroeger

Players Mentioned

Elena Clococeanu

Alexa Collins

Savanna Henderson

Lina Kroeger

Elani Sherwood

Mia Smith

Players Mentioned

Elena Clococeanu

Alexa Collins

Savanna Henderson

Lina Kroeger

Elani Sherwood

Mia Smith

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics