at UMass CS 14oct2017

Warm 20+C/70F and sunny, we went first to the field where we played 3 years ago, when Summer Hammond '17 documented the experience with her camera even though she couldn't play due to chemotherapy. We got the feeling maybe it was the wrong field when we couldn't spot any UMass players, so Lindsey scouted out the fields a bit to the south to find the right location.

Sarah A's family greeted us with drinks and mandarins -- they were visiting from CA! 

The field looked small, bumpy and not well seeded, and we spoke about being quick with the ball and expecting immense pressure.

UMass CS did exactly that -- they got off 6 shots in the first 16 minutes!

Immediately after their run of shots, Meredith G struck her free kick expertly -- placing it in front of the UMass goal but not reachable by their goalkeeper. Sarah A converted, putting us up a goal!

We did well to win many of the 50/50 balls and strung passes together better than UMass could. After Katie and Tina took free kicks, Claire had a corner kick and UMass had a threatening shot go wide.

Dani had a chance in the 35th minute, UMass had another free kick and so did Tina before Bri saved a UMass shot in the last minute of the first half.

We spoke about playing as if the score were 0:0, continuing to work hard and passing the ball quickly since we expected UMass to be very energized and physical.

After UMass earned a free kick, Bri saved a shot from them and they sent another shot wide. Tina and UMass took free kicks, and Bri saved us again in the 51st minute. We were fortunate her quad felt better!

UMass had a shot over our goal's cross-bar that was ruled to have been touched, so they got another corner.

Jenna used her immense speed to beat her defender down the right sideline, then cut the ball back to elude her defender and tried to chip the goalkeeper with a shot that just barely went over their cross-bar.

After Tina's free kick in the 63rd minute, Jenna had another chance to beat her defender, repeating her cutting the ball back to free up some space so she could see where to send the ball. She sent it diagonally across the field toward the far post, which it went by just barely wide.

After two more UMass free kicks and a corner, during which Bri was fouled by UMass (Tina took the free kick), Jenna had another chance but her shot was saved.

In the 75th minute, Maria also had a great shot saved. Then UMass had a couple  more free kicks, one that one of our players in the wall saved and one that Bri saved.

In the 78th minute, Dani was taken down in their box, and Meredith G slotted her penalty kick into the lower right side but somehow the UMass goalkeeper got her fingers on it!

We kept the ball in their third, and in the 80th minute Jenny earned a corner taken by Sarah A. We fully expected the ref to blow his whistle at that point, but he let the game go into extra time, during which UMass got a shot into the lower right corner of our goal to tie the score. The ref claimed that time needed to be added for the penalty kick, but we thought that was a rule violation. oh well!

It was a fiercely contest game, with our whole team putting everything out on the field. Good passes, high intensity, great goalkeeping and solid defense -- we played our best game which was also our most-important game! 

STILL UNDEFEATED! WAY TO GO!

G: Bri
CD: Tina+Julia F-O'L
OD: Mari+Izzy, Katie, Meredith G
CM: Lindsey+Namya, Maria+Meredith G
OM: Meredith S+Jenna, Sarah A+Julia C
F: Claire+Sarah J, Dani+Jenny

Shots 7:14 Saves 6:3

3 UMass shot wide
5 UMass shot saved
9 UMass shot blocked
10 UMass shot wide
13 UMass free kick
     UMass shot wide
15 Katie free kick
16 UMass free kick
     UMass shot saved
17 Meredith G free kick from 30 yd
     Sarah A converted --> 1:0
24 Katie free kick
26 Tina free kick
29 Claire corner
34 UMass shot wide
35 Dani shot wide
36 UMass free kick 
37 Tina free kick
39 UMass shot saved
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44 UMass free kick
46 UMass shot saved for a corner
48 UMass shot wide
49 Tina free kick
50 UMass free kick
51 UMass shot saved for a corner
58 UMass shot over for a corner
62 Jenna chipped the GK barely over
63 Tina free kick
65 Jenna cross/shot barely wide
66 UMass free kick
67 UMass free kick from 30 yd --> corner
     Bri fouled in the box, Tina free kick
70 Jenna shot saved
75 Maria shot saved
76 UMass free kick --> corner
77 UMass free kick saved
78 Dani taken down in the box, 
     Meredith G PK saved for a corner taken by Sarah A
80 Jenny earned a corner taken by Sarah A
81 UMass shot lower right --> 1:1