Amherst, Mass. – (April 11, 2021) – With an Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship berth to the winner of today's Fordham-Massachusetts, the match was exactly what one would expect, as the teams battled back and forth for 90 minutes without giving an inch.
In the end, it was the Minutewomen that were able to get the one break in the 77
th minute and take a 1-0 decision from the Rams at Rudd Field in Amherst, Massachusetts.
The teams finished the first half scoreless, but each had prime chances to score. Fordham goalkeeper
Maria O'Sullivan registered four saves in the half, which included three in the first 20 minutes of action. The Rams' best chance was in the closing minutes off a corner kick chance. The cross went into the box and after a bounce found the head of
Hope Baisley, who hit the left side of the crossbar and deflected away.
In the second half, the Rams had another in tight opportunity, when
Jenna Devine chased a ball to the end line and cut across for an attempt, that was snagged by Massachusetts keeper Bella Mendoza in the 70
th minute.
About seven minutes later, the deadlock was broken, when UMass' Jenny Hipp hooked a shot into the left side of the net, just out of the reach of O'Sullivan for the 1-0 lead.
Fordham played hard to find the equalizer and almost came up with it in the 83
rd minute.
Kristen Cocozza came up with the ball and chipped a shot toward the right corner of the goal, but it sailed just over the net wide.
For the Rams, O'Sullivan ended with six saves in the match, as the team finished the regular season with a 4-3-1 record, 4-3-0 in the Atlantic 10.
