Box Score

Senior M Emily Painten (Walpole, Mass.) netted her fifth goal of the season, but it wasn't enough as Merrimack (14-2, 8-1) defeated UMass Lowell 2-1 Tuesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference field hockey match at Cushing Field.
 
Painten's goal came in the 17^th minute on a crafty pass from junior F Melissa Effertz (Oceanside, Ca.). The goal gave UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead and momentum moving forward in the match.
 
Merrimack senior F April Daugherty made sure to swing the momentum the other way in the second half. Daugherty netted two goals for the Warriors, her ninth and tenth of the season.
 
Her first goal came in the 45^th minute on a pass from senior M Jamie Spano at the top of the circle, which she tipped under UMass Lowell GK Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.) at the near post.
 
Daugherty struck again just three minutes later when junior F Candace Waldie found her cutting to the net on a through pass.
 
“Merrimack came out and played a complete game,” said UMass Lowell head coach Shannon Hlebichuk. “I thought their defense was outstanding and really limited our opportunities in the attacking 25. We, on the other hand, didn't seem prepared for the level of play that Merrimack brought to the game and lacked the composure necessary to win a big game.
 
“We uncharacteristically turned the ball over far too many times in the midfield which in the end was the nail in our coffin,” she added.
 
Shots were even at 9-9 overall, but Merrimack had a 6-5 edge on frame and an 8-3 advantage on penalty corners.
 
The loss drops UMass Lowell to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference.
 
The River Hawks are back in action on Thursday night when Assumption College comes to town.