Minutewomen Clinch First Final Four Since 1992 With 1-0 Win Over Harvard

STORRS, CT. -- No. 14 Massachusetts (17-5, 7-0 A-10) claimed a historic 1-0 shutout victory over No. 10 Harvard (16-4, 6-1) in the NCAA Elite Eight on Sunday at Nancy Stevens Field. With the win, the Minutewomen advanced to their fifth Final Four and first since 1992.

The Minutewomen controlled the action for the majority of the 60 minutes, drawing six penalty corners and allowing just three shots on goal. Junior Myrte van Herwijnen faced just three shots, making all three saves including a crucial kick save on a penalty corner in the third corner.

The victory marks the program's first final four in over three decades and the first for Head Coach Barb Weinberg. Massachusetts joins Atlantic 10 member Saint Joseph's in the final four, it marks the first time in conference history two schools have qualified.

Graduate Student Claire Danahy scored the game-winning goal, firing in the game's lone goal from just inside the shooting circle late in the third quarter. The goal marked her eighth of the season and increased her point total to 29 on the season.

Dempsey Campbell and Elena Clococeanu each recorded two shots in the matchup, tying for a game-high with Danahy.

Harvard was led by goalkeeper Tessa Shahbo who made four saves in the matchup.

Breaking Down The Action

The Minutewomen drew three penalty corners in the first four minutes, recording three shots on goal.
Harvard garnered its first penalty corner with 10:22 left in the first quarter, with Myrte van Herwijnen making her first save of the afternoon on a hard-hit ball from the Crimson's Marie Schaefers.
The Minutewomen drew a pair of penalty corners, but saw both shots from Elena Clococeanu stopped, keeping the score 0-0 with 2:51 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Massachusetts controlled the action for the 15 minutes of play, holding a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal while drawing five penalty corners.
Gabrielle Bankenstein recorded Massachusetts' lone scoring opportunity of the second quarter, seeing her shot saved by Harvard's Tessa Shahbo just 40 seconds into the period.
The remainder of the quarter was a physical defensive battle, with neither team recording a shot nor drawing a penalty corner across the remaining 14:20 of first half.
The Minutewomen started the third quarter with their sixth penalty corner, but saw a shot from Paula Lorenzini blocked to keep the score square at 0-0.
Claire Danahy got the Minutewomen on the board first, scoring the game-winning goal from just inside the shooting circle to make it 1-0 with 2:42 left in the third.
Harvard pulled goalie Tessa Shahbo with 5:02 remaining in regulation but could not find the late equalizer.
The whistle blew with the score 1-0 Massachusetts, clinching the Minutewomen's first final four appearance since 1992.

Notable Numbers

1: Massachusetts earned its first win over Harvard in NCAA Tournament competition.
3: The Minutewomen held Harvard to just three shots on the afternoon, allowing just one in the second half.
3: Van Herwijnen made three crucial saves on in the matchup
5: Massachusetts clinched it's fifth NCAA Final Four appearance with the win.
8: Danahy's game-winning goal marked her eighth of the season.
9: Massachusetts held a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal.

NCAA History

The Massachusetts field hockey program (17-5, 7-0 A-10) earned its 27th overall NCAA Tournament bid on selection Sunday, marking their first appearance since 2016.
Massachusetts owns an overall record of 23-27 (.460) in the NCAA Tournament and a 4-6 (.333) mark in the elite eight.
The Minutewomen advanced to the first ever NCAA Field Hockey Championship Final in 1981, falling 4-1 to UConn in the inaugural final. The matchup is the lone NCAA Championship game appearance for Massachusetts.
Massachusetts mounted a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over UConn in the NCAA First Round on Friday, Nov. 15 at Nancy Stevens Field. With the win, the Minutewomen advanced to their seventh elite eight and first since 2013.
Massachusetts has now advanced to five NCAA Semifinals (1981, '83, '87, '92, '24) and has made seven elite eight appearances including back-to-back seasons on two separate occasions.
Massachusetts joins Saint Joseph's as the only two Atlantic 10 schools to receive NCAA Tournament bids this season, with both programs advancing to the elite eight. This is the first time since 1990 that the A-10 has had two teams (UMass and Temple) advance past the first round.
This is the first time in conference history that the A-10 has had two programs reach the NCAA Semifinal.

Series History

Sunday's NCAA Elite Eight match-up marks the 26th meeting between UMass and Harvard. The Minutewomen now hold a 16-9-1 record all-time in the series.
The two opponents faced each other earlier this season with Harvard claiming a 2-1 victory in a penalty shootout.
Sunday marked the first ever matchup between the two programs in NCAA Tournament competition.

Up Next

The Minutewomen advanced to the NCAA Final Four, taking on the winner of Northwestern and Virginia on Friday, Nov. 22 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Further information on opponent and streaming will be made available at a later date and can be found on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

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