AMHERST — The second half of UMass’ exhibition game against Holy Cross on Sunday was a nearly-perfect example of how the Minutewomen want to play this season.
In its first year under coach Jason Dowiak, UMass unveiled a possession-based attacking brand of soccer that left Holy Cross’ keeper on her toes the entire 45 minutes. The Minutewomen created numerous chances at scoring an equalizer that would never come, pounding 17 of their 26 shots in the game on frame.
Although the goal didn’t materialize, Dowiak said after the game he wants his team to thrill fans by consistently creating dangerous chances.
“I want to play good football, honestly,” Dowiak said. “We want it to look good and be effective. … We hope it looks good, we hope the fans are excited when they see it and want to come out to support us because it’s a good brand of football.”
The new style has instilled in the Minutewomen a renewed sense of optimism as well. Senior forward Erin Doster, who led UMass with seven goals last season, said she’s noticed a stronger mentality for the team on the field during the preseason.
“We have more confidence,” Doster said Sunday. “We’re a lot more confident on the ball. We’re able to move the ball around more and keep possession as opposed to trying to loft it. We’re just a smarter team than we were in past years.”
The transformation process was aided by the team’s six seniors, who were unusually receptive to Dowiak and his staff from the outset. The first-year coach said the early buy-in from the upperclassmen made the transition smoother because everyone was on the same page quickly.
That cohesive chemistry also allowed UMass to enter the grueling month of preseason ahead of schedule. Dowiak said he was pleasantly surprised by the physical and mental state of the players when they reported for camp, and it led to a team more confident and hopeful entering the new season.
“They really are all-in on all of our ideas, and it’s showing,” Dowiak said. “They came in fitter from what we’ve heard was the case in the past. They came in really competitively ready, so their winning mentality is definitely something the starting point is better than I’ve felt about teams I’ve coached in the past.”
The biggest adjustment for the players was the physical demand of the offseason strength and conditioning program. In addition to learning and adjusting to new tactics on the field, the Minutewomen also had to adjust to new emphases in the weight room.
Senior Julia Taffuri said the offseason efforts to improve physically have paid dividends already.
“(The offseason) been very educational both physically and on the pitch,” the defender said. “He wants us a lot more fit and all of us did a great job at coming in a lot more fit than in past years. He works a lot with Jordan (Jacobs), our lift coach, and they’re both getting us where we need to be so that we don’t get knocked around on the ball and we’re outplaying our opponents physically.”
Mentally, the Minutewomen are staying more optimistic as they try to secure an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in 21 years. Dowiak said the coaching staff didn’t highlight mistakes in the preseason, but focused on individual decisions and the opportunities to learn for those choices in the future.
Doster said the upbeat environment Dowiak created around the program led to the team’s resilient performances in the two exhibition games in which they allowed the first goal both times before clawing back.
“He implements a culture of positive thinking and energy and enthusiasm into our team, which I think directly relates to how we play on the field now,” Doster said. “We start more on the balls of our feet than our heels.”
UMass corrected its slow starts in time for it season opener Thursday, a dominant 2-0 win over Maine at Rudd Field. Lauren Bonavita tallied in the 37th minute, and Paige Kozlowski added the insurance marker with 8:14 left for the Minutewomen in Dowiak’s regular-season debut.
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.