UMass Women's Soccer Dominates Yale 5–1

AMHERST, Mass. – The goals came early, kept coming, and never really stopped.

UMass women’s soccer tore through Yale 5–1 on Thursday night at Rudd Field, unleashing its most prolific outing of the season and matching its highest total since a five-goal performance against Davidson on September 24, 2023. The Minutewomen moved to 5-1-0 with the win, while the Bulldogs slipped to 3-4-0.

Lightning start sets the tone

The match barely had time to settle before UMass struck. At 6:04, Peyton Costello collected the ball on the left edge of the box, lifted a teasing ball into traffic, and watched as Annie McCaffrey pounced. One touch, then a driven finish arcing high into the top-right corner. 1–0, and Yale were on their heels.

UMass didn’t let them breathe.

Less than three minutes later, from near midfield, Nia Hislop split the lines with a pass into the path of Caroline Dickson. She drove straight at goal, slipped into the 18-yard box, and slid her shot past the Yale goalkeeper at 9:01. Two shots on target, two goals, and a 2–0 cushion that carried into halftime.

The scoreboard suggested control. The shot totals did not. Yale kept asking questions, matching UMass chance for chance and finishing the night with 12 attempts to the Minutewomen’s 13. But where UMass were ruthless, Yale were wasteful.

Curry and Dickson break it open

Any hope of a Bulldog comeback vanished early in the second half.

In the 52nd minute, Monica Curry chased a ball into space with a Yale defender at her shoulder and refused to be beaten. She got there first, forced the goalkeeper to charge out of the box, then coolly rounded her. With the goal gaping and no one left to challenge, Curry rolled in her fifth of the season for 3–0.

Two minutes later, Dickson turned a strong performance into a statement one.

She hunted down a loose ball, weaved through defenders toward the top of the box, and unleashed a strike that ripped into the back of the net in the 54th minute. Her first brace of the season, and a 4–0 lead that felt decisive.

Yale finally found a response from the spot, converting a penalty at 71:29 to cut the deficit to 4–1. It was the only blemish on an otherwise controlled defensive night for UMass, shared by goalkeepers Leah Nisenfeld and Julia Rosenberg.

Terry’s first caps a five-star night

UMass, though, were not done.

With just over five minutes left in regulation, the ball fell to freshman defender Lexi Terry inside the box. She took her chance with conviction, sending a shot that bent around the goalkeeper and into the top-left corner at 84:57. Her first career goal, and the exclamation point on a 5–1 rout.

Curry led all players with four shots, while Dickson and Sophie Skabeikis added two apiece. McCaffrey, Libby Fisher, Aline Traber, Amanda Schultz and Terry each recorded one effort. UMass put seven shots on frame, matching Yale’s total, but made theirs count.

Nisenfeld handled the first 62 minutes in goal, stopping four shots and conceding none. Rosenberg closed out the final 28 minutes, making two saves and yielding only the penalty. At the other end, Yale keeper Isabel Willems went the full 90, finishing with two saves and five goals allowed.

Yale edged UMass 7–2 in corner kicks, a reminder that the Bulldogs generated pressure. On this night, though, the Minutewomen had the sharper edge where it mattered.

Next up, UMass heads to Boston for its final non-conference test, a Sunday clash with Northeastern on September 13 at 1 p.m. Another win there, and this early-season surge starts to look less like a hot streak and more like a standard.