McKenzie’s 20th Goal Powers UMass Past Kent State — Minutewomen Meet Miami for the MAC Crown
UMass are one win from the perfect MAC season, and they got there in style.
The Minutewomen beat Kent State 5-1 in Thursday’s semifinal, and the game was effectively over after the first quarter. Neva Eisenga opened the scoring at 4:24, Niamh McKenzie made it 2-0 at 10:26, and Amber Fairon added a third at 12:45. Isla Campbell made it 4-0 in the 21st minute, Fairon added her second at 59:25, and Kent State’s Ryli Zee got the consolation.
McKenzie’s goal was the milestone. It was her 20th of the season, making her the first UMass player to reach 20 in a season since 2018. UMass are now 18-1, the most wins in the nation, and their most since 2013. They outshot Kent State 18-7 and won the corners 10-3. That’s not a semifinal. That’s a statement.
The other semi was the opposite kind of game. Miami of Ohio beat James Madison 1-0, with one first-quarter goal enough to settle it. JMU’s season ended at Miami’s hands for the third straight year.
The final
So it’s No. 1 UMass against No. 2 Miami, today at 1pm ET (11pm PKT) in Oxford, Ohio, with the NCAA auto-bid on the line. Miami are the hosts, and this is UMass’s second straight MAC final.
For our money, UMass are clear favourites, and the numbers say why. Eighteen wins, a 20-goal scorer, and a semifinal they won by four. But finals are different animals, Miami are at home, and they’ve already shown they can win a tight one. If UMass score early like they did on Thursday, it’s over. If Miami drag it into the second half at 0-0, it gets very interesting.
