Sept. 3, 2011

Box Score

The top ranked UMass Lowell field hockey team was stunned by No. 5 West Chester in its season opener on Saturday afternoon, 4-3 in overtime, in Waltham, MA. The loss is the River Hawks' first since November 15, 2009.

UMass Lowell (0-1) will have to recover quickly as they host No. 9 Millersville on Sunday at Cushing Field in its home opener at 3:30 p.m. The Golden Rams improve to 2-0 in their first season in Division II (previously played in Division I).

"We showed our youth today," said head coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "But the good news is we're happy with our goal scoring production. As a team, we can learn a lot from this game and we're excited to get back on the field tomorrow. Hopefully we can continue to progress and play better with every game."

West Chester had some early opportunities as it was awarded three penalty corners in the first five minutes of play. All three tries were stifled by the River Hawks, including an impressive defensive save by senior Annie Hansbury (Plaistow, N.H.) on the second attempt.

The River Hawks capitalized on their first penalty corner, delivered by Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.). Melissa Effertz (Oceanside, Calif.) peppered goalkeeper Kristen Arnold (Coopersburg, Pa.) with a pair of shots before Ali Ferrero (Kingston, N.Y.) snuck a third attempt into the cage to take a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute.

With the Golden Rams on their heels, UMass Lowell put another tally on the board at 17:08 in the first half. McCarthy sent in another penalty corner and defender Sarah Wilcox (Old Town, Maine) deflected Hansbury's shot into the net for her fourth career goal.

West Chester recuperated at half time and came out with a goal just 17 seconds into play. Michele Schrift (Reading, Pa.) corralled a loose ball and put it past Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.) from eight yards out at 35:17 to cut the score to 2-1.

Spurred on by the surprise goal, the River Hawks answered less than five minutes later. Effertz scored on a pass from Hansbury at 40:11 to resume a two goal lead.

The Golden Rams stunned UMass Lowell in the 61st minute, scoring two goals on penalty corners. Leah Angstadt (Fleetwood, Pa.) score first at 61:06 and Nicole Florilla (Downingtown, Pa.) followed with a goal at 61:55.

UMass Lowell nearly grabbed the go-ahead goal in the 69th minute as Emily Painten (Walpole, Mass.) hit the post on a penalty corner play. Ultimately, neither team scored again in regulation, forcing the game to overtime.

West Chester scored quickly in overtime as Schrift scored her second goal of the game on a turnover at 71:38.

For the game, the Golden Rams out-corned UMass Lowell 17-8 as the River Hawks received just two penalty corners in the final 36:38.

Hopkins suffers her first career loss despite making eight saves in goal. West Chester's Arnold totaled 10 saves as she improves to 2-0.