Box Score
Sophomore Bianca Jones (Watertown, Mass.), juniors Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.) and Melissa Effertz (Oceanside, Calif.) each scored two goals as No. 4 UMass Lowell defeated Franklin Pierce, 9-1, Saturday in a Northeast-10 Conference field hockey match at Cushing Field.

With the win, UMass Lowell improved to 11-2 overall and 6-1 in the NE-10 entering Wednesday's game at Adelphi (7:00). The River Hawks remain in first place in the NE-10 with two games more than second place Merrimack (10-2, 4-1 NE-10).
Franklin Pierce slipped to 3-11 overall and 1-6 in the Conference.

Senior D Sarah Wilcox (East Bridgewater, Mass.) dished out four assists.

The River Hawks reeled off four goals in a 12-minute window in the first half, opened by McCarthy who took a centering pass from Effertz and slotted past Franklin Pierce GK Sarah Cote in the 11^th minute. Jones scored her first in the 14^th when she poked home the rebound off Wilcox's shot which caromed off the right post.

Sophomore M Chelsea Chronopoulos (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and Effertz then added unassisted goals in the 21^st and 23^rd minutes.

The Ravens pulled one back in the 26^th minute when freshman F Chelsey Burnell drove one in off a penalty corner from junior M Jessica Rogers and a tip from junior M Alesia Gleason.

UMass Lowell closed the scoring for the half in the 29^th when Effertz tallied off a through-ball from Wilcox.

UMass Lowell continued to be rampant in the second half and McCarthy notched her second four minutes in with help from Jones.

Wilcox set up Jones with a cross in the 52^nd minute, then assisted on a goal by sophomore F Kristina Krull (Leicester, Mass.). Four minutes later, Krull set up freshman F Kelly Freitas (Manchester, N.H.) for her third of the year.

UMass Lowell outshot Franklin Pierce 24-7 overall and 9-1 on target. Junior Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.), who played the first half, stopped one shot while freshman Bryanna Bourbeau (Litchfield, N.H.) had four saves in the second half.

Cote stopped four shots for the Ravens.