Massachusetts Advances to First MAC Championship Final With 4-1 Win Over App State

HARRISONBURG, VA. -- No. 2 Massachusetts (16-3, 8-1 MAC) advanced to its first MAC Championship final with a 4-1 win over No. 3 Appalachian State (14-6, 7-2) on Thursday at the JMU Field Hockey Complex. With the win, Massachusetts advanced to its fourth consecutive conference championship final.

Alexa Collins led the Massachusetts offense, tallying her second career brace and sixth goal of the season. The senior led the Minutewomen with five shots, including four on goal.

Defenders Elena Clococeanu and Megan Carpenter each recorded a goal of their own, extending Massachusetts' lead in the third quarter. Clococeanu has now scored in back-to-back games and has totaled five goals this season.

The Minutewomen held App State to just three shots on goal with Myrte van Herwijnen making a pair of saves on the afternoon.

The Cardinals were led by Christine Ditizio who recorded two shots in the contest.

Breaking Down The Action

The first 15 minutes of action ended with the score stuck at 0-0 and Massachusetts holding a 3-1 advantage in total shots.
Massachusetts claimed a 1-0 lead as Alexa Collins opened the scoring just 42 seconds into the second quarter.
The Minutewomen went into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead and a 7-2 advantage in shots.
Megan Carpenter doubled the Massachusetts lead, firing home a goal 2:37 into the third quarter.
Elena Clococeanu converted a penalty stroke to give the Minutewomen a 3-0 advantage with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Appalachian State got on the board as Kate Richardson made it 3-1 with 4:11 on the clock.
Alexa Collins capped the third quarter with her second goal of the day, punching in a rebound with 1:59 left on the clock.
Massachusetts allowed just one shot in the fourth quarter, claiming a 4-1 win at the final whistle.

Notable Numbers

1: Massachusetts advanced to its first MAC Championship Final with the victory.
1: Fiene Jennisken and Sophie Kent each tallied an assist in the contest.
2: Massachusetts drew 2 penalty corners on the afternoon.
3: Three different Minutewomen tallied a goal in the contest: Alexa Collins (2), Megan Carpenter (1) and Elena Clococeanu (1).
13: The Minutewomen tallied 13 shots in the contest, eight on goal.

Conference Championship History

Massachusetts now holds a 44-18 (.709) overall record in conference tournaments, advancing to the Championship match in four consecutive seasons.
The Minutewomen own a 16-11 (.640) mark in Championship Final matchups all-time, falling 2-1 to Saint Joseph's in the 2024 A-10 Championship Final.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 2-0-0 record all-time against the Mountaineers.
The matchup marks the second meeting between the two programs this season and all time.

Up Next

The Minutewomen will face Miami (OH) on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 12:00 p.m. in the MAC Championship Final. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard