Weinberg Earns 100th Career Win as Minutewomen Claim Heart-Stopping 3-2 Result Over Brown

AMHERST, Mass. -- No. 14 Massachusetts (3-0) claimed a 3-2 (3-1) shootout win over Brown (0-1) as Head Coach Barb Weinberg earned her 100th career victory in heart stopping fashion on Friday at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.

Weinberg became the third coach in program history to reach the 100-win mark and the second fastest behind UMass Hall of Famer Pam Hixon. On her way to this career milestone Weinberg has coached over 80 student athletes who have earned 8 NFHCA All-American, 29 All-Region and 41 All-Conference honors.

Win No. ??!!!!

Congratulations to Head Coach Barb Weinberg on becoming the third coach in program history to reach 100 career victories#RollUMass x #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/cqW7s9vwY5
— UMass Field Hockey (@UMassFH) September 6, 2025

Massachusetts earned its eighth victory over the Bears all-time, battling back from a 2-1 second half deficit to claim the first matchup between the two programs since 2008.

Junior Neva Eisenga continued to impact the game on both ends, recording a goal and six shots in the contest. Senior Gabrielle Benkenstein also tallied a goal on the night, deflecting a ball out of the air to net her second of the season.

Gabby got ??

All level after a spectacular goal from the senior!!#RollUMass x #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/NCdW5xE1rf
— UMass Field Hockey (@UMassFH) September 5, 2025

Senior goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen had a dominant performance in net, making seven saves while rejecting three shootout attempts to keep the Bears at bay. The seven saves are a season-high for the Huizen, The Netherlands native.

Graduate Student Elena Clococeanu was a leader in the defensive third, making a career-high to defensive saves on the night.

Brown was led by goalkeeper Ellie Park who recorded nine saves on the evening.

Breaking Down The Action

Brown held a 4-0 shot advantage in the opening quarter, but a pair of saves from Myrte van Herwijnen helped keep the score level at 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Neva Eisenga netted the game's first goal 5:08 into the second quarter, rocketing in a penalty corner score off assists from Savanna Henderson and Fiene Jenniskens.
Brown responded eight minutes later as Kiersten Brown buried an assist from Alexandra Madrid to level the score at 1-1.
The two teams headed to the halftime break with the score tied, with Brown holding a slim 8-6 lead in total shots.
Brown claimed their first lead of the contest as Mia Karine Myklebust tallied her first goal of the season just 2:24 into the third quarter.
Gabrielle Benkenstein batted in the equalizer, leveling the score at 2-2 with 6:47 remaining in regulation.
Regulation ended with the score square at 2-2 and the Minutewomen holding a 16-14 advantage in total shots.
Despite a flurry of shots on goal in the second overtime, the Minutewomen could not find the golden goal, heading into a winner take all shootout.
Van Herwijnen made a trio of shootout stops and Clococeanu, Eisenga and Sophie Kent each buried consecutive attempts to clinch the 3-2 (3-1) win.

Notable Numbers

2: Benkenstein and Eisenga each recorded their second goal of the season.
7: Van Herwijnen tallied a season-high seven saves in the contest.
10: The Minutewomen drew seven penalty corners on the evening.
22: The Minutewomen tallied 21 shots in the contest, 11 on goal.
100: Weinberg recorded her 100th career win with the shootout win.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 8-0 record all-time against the Bears.
Massachusetts last faced Brown on Tuesday, Sept. 23, claiming a 2-1overtime win in Providence, Rhode Island.

Up Next

The Minutewomen continue their two-game homestand, facing Boston University on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. at Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard