Minutewomen Earn Ninth Win of the Season, Defeat RedHawks 3-1

OXFORD, Ohio -- No. 11 Massachusetts (9-1, 2-1 MAC) claimed their second win in Mid-American play as they bested Miami (6-3, 2-1) 3-1 on Sunday. The Minutewomen held the advantage in shots on goal (7-5) and penalty corners (8-5) en route to their convincing win over the reigning conference tournament champions.

Massachusetts earned its second victory over the RedHawks all-time, and first since Sunday, Sept. 10, 2000.

Gabrielle Benkenstein and Elena Clococeanu led the way for Massachusetts offensively as they each recorded a goal and an assist in the matchup. Benkenstein is now tied with Emily Barret for a team-high 12 points this season. The three points marked Clococeanu's first goal and assist of the 2025 campaign.

Lina Kroeger provided a key insurance goal for the Minutewomen, firing home a drag flick for her second goal of the season.

Senior Myrte van Herwijnen made three saves on the afternoon, allowing one goal or less in eight of ten games this season. The Huizen, Netherlands, native also denied a Miami penalty stroke with 9:01 remaining in the third quarter to preserve Massachusetts' 2-0 advantage.

The RedHawks were led by Clara Bertolot who scored their lone goal of the game.

Breaking Down The Action

The Minutewomen opened the scoring as Gabrielle Benkenstein punctuated the first penalty corner of the game to provide a 1-0 advatage with 11:13 remaining in the first quarter.
Massachusetts controlled much of the action in the opening quarter, holding the advantage in shots (3-1) and penalty corners (2-0) over the first 15 minutes.
The Minutewomen drew a penalty stroke with 6:34 remaining in the second quarter, and Elena Clococeanu converted the opportunity to increase Massachusetts' lead to 2-0.
The two teams went into the halftime break with Massachusetts holding a 2-0 lead and a commanding 3-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Miami drew a penalty stroke of its own with 9:01 remaining in the third quarter, but Myrte van Herwijnen denied the attempt to uphold Massachusetts' 2-0 lead.
The Minutewomen ceded their first penalty corner of the game but held strong and retained their 2-0 advantage heading into the final quarter of play.
Elena Clococeanu recorded a defensive save, but the RedHawks were able to recover the clear attempt and cut into the Massachusetts lead with 6:56 remaining in regulation. Clara Bertolot netted the goal for Miami, making the score 2-1 in favor of Massachusetts.
Lina Kroeger fired home the response from Massachusetts, converting a penalty corner to make the score 3-1 with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter.
The final whistle sounded with the score 3-1 in favor of the Minutewomen.

Notable Numbers

1: Benkenstein and Clococeanu each recorded a goal and an assist in the matchup.
1: Clococeanu notched her first goal of the 2025 season.
3: Falconer recorded her third assist of the season.
3: Benkenstein recorded her third goal of the season.
8: The Minutewomen drew eight penalty corners in the matchup.
8: Massachusetts has allowed one goal or less in eight games this season.
12: The Minutewomen tallied 10 shots in the contest, 7 on goal.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 2-0-0 record all-time against the RedHawks.
Massachusetts last faced Miami Ohio on Sunday, Sept. 10, 200-, claiming a 1-0 win in Muncie, Indiana.

Up Next

The Minutewomen return to Amherst for a homecoming weekend matchup with Central Michigan on Friday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

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