Nov. 10, 2011

Live Stats

The reigning NCAA Champion River Hawks defend their crown on Friday at 4 p.m. in the NCAA Tournament Semifinal against longstanding rival Merrimack College in Bloomsburg, PA. The winner will advance to the finals against either West Chester or Bloomsburg on Sunday at 1 p.m.

UMass Lowell (18-3) split their two matches with the Warriors this year, falling in the regular season 2-1, then storming to a 3-2 victory in the Northeast-10 Championship game in North Andover, MA. The River Hawks are 21-5 against Merrimack all-time, dating back to the series origins in 1993.

The River Hawks are making their ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, with the 2005 and 2010 campaign re¬sulting in National Championships. UMass Lowell is seeking its sixth trip to the NCAA Finals in the last seven years.

Senior Kayla Littig (Carver, Mass.) has been the driving force behind the River Hawks' quest to repeat. Named the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year and the Tournament MVP, Littig has scored a career-high 26 points on 12 goals and two assists while playing elite defense.

Providing the scoring punch for UMass Lowell is sophomore forward Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.). A NE-10 All-Conference First Team selection, McCarthy has scored a league-best 55 points on 19 goals and 17 assists. McCarthy had three assists in the NE-10 Championship game and followed with three more helpers in the NCAA Quarterfinal victory over American International.

In four career games against Merrimack, McCarthy has two goals and three assists for seven points.

For the Warriors, conference Player of the Year April Daugherty (Wakefield, R.I.) ranks second in the NE-10 with 49 points. Daugherty has scored a league-best 22 goals while adding five assists.