Oct. 31, 2008

LOWELL - UMass Lowell, with a 7-4-5 overall record, received the No. 6 seed and will visit No. 3 Merrimack in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament quarterfinal Sunday (1:00) in North Andover, MA.

The River Hawks (6-3-5 in the NE-10) received the No. 6 seed by virtue of its sixth-place finish in the NE-10 regular season, solidified Tuesday with its 1-1 deadlock at Southern New Hampshire.

"Merrimack has had a very good season," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Elie Monteiro. "They're a team with a lot of experience. It will be a very difficult game because they have a lot of quality players on their roster. But we feel good about the way we are playing right now and we're looking forward to the challenge."

The River Hawks are unbeaten in five of their last six matches (3-1-2), highlighted by wins at Franklin Pierce (1-0, OT), at Saint Michael's (1-0) and at home against Bentley (1-0).

Merrimack (12-3-2, 10-3-1 NE-10) has peaked over the second half of the season, winning eight of its last nine matches, with the sole blemish a 1-0 setback at home to Franklin Pierce on Oct. 25.

The Warriors and River Hawks drew 1-1 during the regular season on Sept. 9 in a classic. Freshman Maddy Bissaillon (Merrimac, MA) put the River Hawks ahead in the 32nd minute before Merrimack leveled in the 53rd behind junior Gabrielle Gramprey.

Merrimack leads the all-time series against UMass Lowell, 11-4, but the series has been near even over the last five years. The Warriors won the first nine meetings starting in 1995 before the River Hawks won three straight.

The Warriors won both games last year: 3-1 in North Andover, MA and 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament first round in Albany, NY.