Oct. 18, 2011

Box Score

Senior B Hannah Merullo (Wakefield, Mass.) scored two goals five minutes apart to lead UMass Lowell over Southern Connecticut, 3-1, Tuesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference women’s soccer clash at Cushing Field.

The victory was UMass Lowell’s eighth straight, which surpasses the previous school record of seven consecutive wins set in 2005. The River Hawks improved to 10-2-2 overall and 9-1-2 in the NE-10 entering Saturday’s match at Pace (3:30).

Southern Connecticut suffered its second straight loss and slipped to 10-3-1 overall and 8-3-1 in the Conference. The Owls host Merrimack Saturday at 4:00.

Merullo, whose last goal came on Sept. 23, 2008, combined with senior M Maddy Bissaillon (Merrimac, Mass.) on a pair of set pieces to put the River Hawks in front. Freshman F Brittany Russo (Danvers, Mass.) scored her ninth of the season in the final minute off nice work from junior F Keanna Santos (Lakeville, Mass.).

Southern Connecticut opened the scoring just 52 seconds from the half when the River Hawks were whistled for a foul roughly 35 yards from goal. Freshman M Stephanie Santos lofted the free kick over the reach of sophomore GK Jill Carlson (Lexington, Mass.) into the top left corner of the goal.

The River Hawks were given a lifeline in the 64th minute when Bissaillon sent a free kick from the left flank into the box, to which Merullo rounded a defender and toe-poked home.

Energized by the goal, UMass Lowell added the winner in the 69th when Bissaillon sent a corner kick to the top of the box to sophomore B Sarah Raye (Salem, N.H.) who found Merullo on the edge of the six-yard box. Merullo rounded a defender and sidefooted inside the left post.

UMass Lowell possessed and defended well the rest of the way and nearly went 4-1 ahead on two occasions late on. In the 73rd, Russo broke between two defenders and launched a blast from the top of the box, which was parried around the left post by goalkeeper Jacquelyn Fede.

In the 82nd, Russo’s attempt was blocked, but Santos slotted the rebound from the left side of the box toward the far post, eliciting a diving stop from Fede.

As the Owls pressed forward in the final minutes, Santos and Russo capitalized. Santos won a ball just inside UMass Lowell’s half and broke free with Russo for a two-on-one. Santos fed Russo on the left, who blasted home inside the right post for the ninth time this season.

UMass Lowell outshot Southern Connecticut 11-8 overall and 7-5 on target. Carlson stopped four shots while Fede also had four saves for Southern Connecticut.