Effertz goal, two assists lead UMass Lowell over Stonehill, 3-1

Wednesday, October 24

Lowell, Mass.

7:00

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(16-3)

Stonehill College

(9-10)

Team	1	2	Final F
Stonehill College	1	0	1
UMass Lowell	0	3	3

Freshman Jenna Freitas (center) scored the game-winner in the 43rd minute with help from junior Melissa Effertz (left).

Photo by: David Gillies

Effertz goal, two assists lead UMass Lowell over Stonehill, 3-1

10/24/2012 9:41:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

River Hawks advance to semifinal; prepare to face Bentley University

Junior F Melissa Effertz (Oceanside, Calif.) was involved in all three scoring plays as No. 3 UMass Lowell defeated No. 6 Stonehill College, 3-1, in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament.

With the win, UMass Lowell advances to the semifinal and will face No. 2 Bentley University Saturday (11:00) at tournament host/No. 1-seed Merrimack.

In the earlier quarterfinal, No. 4 Adelphi edged No. 5 Southern Connecticut, 4-3, in Garden City, N.Y. Adelphi moves on to meet Merrimack Saturday at 2:00.

Stonehill ends its season with a 9-10 record.

Stonehill opened the scoring in the fifth minute when senior F Brittany Ford crossed from the endline to freshman F Erin Kelley, who flicked to sophomore F Jennifer Foley at the far post for her third goal of the season.

Stonehill held the advantage until the 39^th minute when Effertz netted her 14^th goal of the year. Senior D Sarah Wilcox (Old Town, Maine) made a nice pass from the point, connecting with Effertz at the left side of the net.

From there, UMass Lowell held the momentum. In the 43^rd minute freshman F Jenna Freitas (Manchester, N.H.) scored her sixth goal of the year on a pass from Effertz, who pounced on a failed clearance.

Effertz, named to the NE-10 First Team on Tuesday, added another assist in the 63^rd minute when she crossed to junior F Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.), who finished from the slot. The goal was McCarthy's 24^th of the season, and sealed the victory for the River Hawks.

UMass Lowell outshot Stonehill 23-1 overall (11-1 on target) and held the advantage in penalty corners 28-0.

Senior GK Kaitlyn Curtis stopped eight of the 11 shots that came her way while junior GK Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.) was tested once.