Massachusetts Claims First MAC Regular Season Championship, Defeats Ball State 7-0

AMHERST, MA. -- No. 15 Massachusetts (15-3, 8-1 MAC) secured a 7-0 senior day victory over Ball State (4-15, 2-7) on Friday at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex. With the win, Massachusetts claims its 17th regular season conference championship and its first as a member of the Mid-American Conference.

Seven Minutewomen were honored as part of senior day as Gabrielle Benkenstein, Elena Clococeanu, Alexa Collins, Savanna Henderson, Myrte van Herwijnen, Izzy Larimore and Mia Smith each received recognition for their contributions to the program.

The Minutewomen scored a season-high seven goals while claiming their ninth shutout of the season. Seven different Minutewomen scored in the contest, including seniors Elena Clococeanu, Alexa Collins and Mia Smith. Fellow Senior Gabrielle Benkenstein tallied a single-game career high three assists in the matchup.

Three freshmen also added to the tally as Kiran Kaur, Sophie Kent and Lina Kroeger each found the back of the net on the evening.

The Minutewomen held Ball State to just two shots as Myrte van Herwijnen saved the Cardinal's lone on-goal opportunity of the contest.

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

Breaking Down The Action

Massachusetts opened the scoring as Lina Kroeger fired in a drag flick just 55 seconds into the opening quarter.
Alexa Collins made it 2-0 Massachusetts, wrestling the ball away from a Ball State defender to find the net with 12:51 remaining in the opening quarter
Elena Clococeanu scored Massachusetts' third of the day, converting a penalty corner with 14:59 left in the first quarter.
Massachusetts ended the first quarter of play with a 3-0 lead and a 6-0 advantage in total shots.
Mia Smith tipped in her third goal of the season, making it 4-0 Minutewomen with 5:01 left in the first half.
Neva Eisenga sent Massachusetts to the halftime break with a 5-0 lead, scoring a short-corner goal with 0:00 on the clock.
Massachusetts tallied five shots in the third quarter, but could not add to it's advantage, holding a 5-0 lead after 45 minutes of play.
The Minutewomen pulled Myrte van Herwijnen from net with 5:50 remaining in regulation.
Kiran Kaur finished a pass from Mia Smith for Massachusetts' sixth goal of the evening with 5:38 left on the clock.
Sophie Kent punctuated the matchup with a goal of her own, giving Massachusetts a 7-0 lead with 53 seconds remaining in regulation.
The final whistle sounded with a 7-0 Massachusetts win, clinching the programs first MAC regular season title.

Notable Numbers

1: Massachusetts claimed its first championship as a member of the Mid-American Conference.
2: Elena Clococeanu and Fiene Jenniskens each recorded two assists in the matchup.
3: Gabrielle Benkenstein dished out three assists on the evening.
7: Seven different Minutewomen tallied a goal in the contest.
13: Massachusetts drew 13 penalty corners on the afternoon.
17: Massachusetts claimed its 17th regular season conference title.
26: The Minutewomen tallied 26 shots in the contest, 17 on goal.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 7-0-0 record all-time against the Cardinals.
The matchup marks the first between the two programs since Massachusetts claimed a 3-1 win on Sept. 9, 2000, in Muncie, Indiana.

Up Next

The Minutewomen head to Harrisonburg for the MAC Field Hockey Championship, where they will face the winner of App State and Ohio on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 2:30 p.m. in the tournament semifinal.The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

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