Oct. 22, 2011

Box Score | Highlights of Senior Day and the Win

Playing in her final regular season home match, Kayla Littig (Carver, Mass.) scored twice to lead the fifth-ranked River Hawks to a 4-0 shutout of No. 10 American International at home on Saturday afternoon during its annual Senior Day.

Prior to the opening whistle, UMass Lowell field hockey honored its three seniors, Abby Auld (Waltham, Mass.), Annie Hansbury (Plaistow, N.H.) and Littig. The trio has a four-year record of 77-14 and all were starters on the 24-0 National Championship team of 2010.

The River Hawks settled their regular season record at 15-3 overall and 9-1 in Northeast-10 play, earning the second-seed in the upcoming conference playoffs. The Yellow Jackets drop to 11-7 on the campaign and 6-4 in NE-10 action.

The River Hawks seized the game's first goal in the 18th minute. Sophomore Ali Ferraro (Kingston, N.Y.) delivered the ball on a corner play and senior Auld put a shot on net that was stopped by Kim Steiner (Little Falls, N.Y.). Littig pounced on the loose ball and netted the rebound score, her eighth goal of the season.

The Yellow Jackets were able to hold off the relentless UMass Lowell attack through the remainder of the first. Steiner was especially up to the task; making eight first half saves--including five saves in a thirty second span during a River Hawk penalty corner in the 33rd minute.

UMass Lowell would not be denied in the second half, scoring three times en route to the 4-0 final.

Emily Painten (Walpole, Mass.) struck first at 43:14, scoring her seventh goal of the year. On a corner play, Sarah Wilcox (Old Town, Maine) was denied by Steiner, but Painten planted the rebound in the net to push the lead to 2-0.

Then, Janelle DeCamillis (Littleton, Mass.) scored her third tally of the season on another corner play at 47:02. This time, Littig was stifled by the goalkeeper and DeCamillis was able to poke the loose ball through.

American International's best scoring opportunity came in the 53rd minute as the River Hawk defense turned away three consecutive shots, highlighted by a pair of saves from Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.).

The final tally came with just over ten minutes remaining in the match. Wilcox passed into the circle to Littig, who battled the defense for position. Littig spun quickly and ripped a shot past the goalkeeper for her ninth score of the season.

Hopkins finished with three total saves to earn her sixth shutout of the year and improve to 15-3 overall. The Yellow Jackets' Steiner stopped 14-of-18 shots as she fell to 11-7 on the campaign. For the day, UMass Lowell outshot American International, 32-10, and carried a 13-5 advantaged in corner.

As they wait to see how the field settles, the River Hawks are entrenched as the second-seed in the Northeast-10 Tournament and will play on Friday at Merrimack College in the semi-finals. UMass Lowell will face the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 quarter-final match up on Wednesday.