Minutewomen Earn Eighth Win of The Season, Defeat UAlbany 2-1

AMHERST, Mass. -- No. 12 Massachusetts (8-0, 1-0 MAC) continued its undefeated start with a 2-1 win over UAlbany (5-3) on Sunday at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex. The Minutewomen scored two unanswered goals in the second half to secure their eighth win of the season.

Massachusetts earned its sixth victory over the Great Danes all-time, and first since the 2023 season-opener.

Junior Neva Eisenga continued to make her presence known on attack penalty corners, scoring a goal on three shots. The two-time MAC Defensive Player of The Week now sits second on the team with four goals this season.

Sophomore Elani Sherwood secured the game-winning goal for Massachusetts, firing home a long assist from Fiene Jenniskens for her first score of the season. Jenniskens and Gabrielle Benkenstein each recorded an assist on the day; the pair currently lead the Minutewomen with five during the 2025 campaign. Sophomore Cara Falconer also recorded an assist in the matchup, her second of the season.

Senior Myrte van Herwijnen recorded four saves on the afternoon, allowing one goal or less in six of her eight games this season.

The Great Danes were led by Emma Peeters who made 13 saves on the afternoon.

Breaking Down The Action

The Minutewomen held a 3-1 advantage in shots through 15 minutes of play, but the score remained level at 0-0 heading into the second quartr.
UAlbany scored the first goal of the day as Lillian Willis gave the Great Danes a 1-0 lead with 4:13 to play in the first half.
Massachusetts held a 10-3 advantage in shots but could not find an equalizer heading into the halftime break.
Neva Eisenga scored the equalizer for the Minutewomen, burying a sweeper off a penalty corner with 4:46 left in the third quarter.
Elani Sherwood buried a long assist from Fiene Jenniskens to give Massachusetts a 2-1 lead with 9:23 to play in regulation.
UAlbany pulled its goalie with just over three minutes to play, but Massachusetts stood strong defensively claiming a 2-1 victory.

Notable Numbers

1: Sherwood tallied her first goal of the 2025 season.
1: Benkenstein, Falconer and Jenniskens each tallied an assist on the afternoon.
4: Eisenga recorded her fourth goal of the season.
4: The Minutewomen drew four penalty corners in the matchup.
5: Benkenstein and Jenniskens lead the Minutewomen with five assists on the season.
8: Massachusetts improved to 8-0 on the 2025 season.
20: The Minutewomen tallied 20 shots in the contest, 15 on goal.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 6-6-0 record all-time against the Great Danes.
Massachusetts last faced UAlbany on Friday, Aug. 25 claiming a 3-2 double overtime to open the 2023 season.

Up Next

The Minutewomen travel to the Buckeye State for a matchup with Ohio on Friday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. in Athens. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard