Oct. 8, 2010

Box Score

The UMass Lowell women’s soccer team defeated the Le Moyne Dolphins (4-4-2, 2-4-2 NE-10) by a score of 4-2 on Friday afternoon in conference action in Syracuse, N.Y. With the victory, the River Hawks pulled ahead to 5-4 in conference play and evened their record to 5-5-1 overall.

Senior Brianne Bozzella (Wilmington, Mass.) and sophomore Keanna Santos (Lakeville, Mass.) led the way with a goal and two assists apiece, while it was sophomore forward Jenna Costa (Attleboro, Mass.) who tallied the eventual game-winner in the 50th minute of play.

Le Moyne struck early, opening scoring just over three minutes into the match, as forward Christie Morano netted her ninth goal of the year to put the Dolphins up 1-0. Morano received a pass from the right side by senior midfielder Mell Cathcart and was able to walk it in, beating UMass Lowell goalkeeper Micaela Butlin (Milton, Mass.).

The River Hawks retaliated in the 20th minute, though, as sophomore midfielder Gia O’Connor (Dracut, Mass.) tied the match at one apiece. UMass Lowell had a throw in on the right side and reached deep into the field to Santos’ feet. The forward crossed to the far post, finding O’Connor for her second goal of the season.

Not wasting any time, UMass Lowell went ahead in the 25th minute, as Santos notched her fifth tally of the season, assisted by Bozzella. Senior Michelle LaMar (Billerica, Mass.) passed a longball up the field, allowing Bozzella to head the ball deep, where Santos outran the Le Moyne defense and goalkeeper Felicia Tynan, putting her squad up 2-1.

After the break, Costa gave her team insurance early in the half, netting her second goal of the year in the 50th minute and putting the River Hawks up 3-1. Bozzella and Costa exchanged passes to the top right of the box, before Costa beat the defense to smash the far post and scored off Tynan’s hands.

Le Moyne retaliated, however, looking to rally late in the game. In the 81st minute of play, senior Riane Fletcher scored from six yards, as Morano crossed the ball from the left side, eluding the UMass Lowell defense and tapping the ball in the right side.

The River Hawks held on, though, and collected an insurance goal by Bozzella in the 87th minute of play. Santos received the ball from freshman midfielder Sarah Raye (Salem, N.H.), who threw the ball in from the left and brought it to the top of the box, finding Bozzella at the far post with 2:07 remaining in the match. The River Hawks held on for their fifth victory of the year.

“We certainly made it an exciting match,” head coach Elie Monteiro said. “But we did what we had to do to get the three points and that’s what’s most important.”

UMass Lowell outshot its opponent 19-8 in the game, including a 13-5 edge in the first half. Butlin made one save in the game, while Tynan tallied six stops on the afternoon.

Next in line for the River Hawks is a visit from the New Haven Chargers for a conference match on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1:00 p.m. on Cushing Field.