Box Score UMass Lowell junior Goalkeeper
Jane Hatzikonstantis (Tewksbury, Mass.) proved to be an impenetrable stone wall as UMass Lowell women's soccer battled Holy Cross to double overtime scoreless tie, Tuesday night, at Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium in Worcester, Mass.
The home team out shot the visiting River Hawks 30-3, 12-1 on target, but Hatzikonstantis was equal to the task turning aside all Crusader bids for a goal. Three of the saves came in the second overtime period. The shutout was the ninth of her career.
"(Hatzikonstantis) dealt with the shots from long range, she held onto the shots she could and smothered the ones she didn't grab," said Head Coach Elie Monteiro. "She's very good technically, she improved her fitness tremendously, she focused on improving and she's growing in confidence; it was a very steady performance."
The Crusaders best opportunity came in the first half, but Hatzikonstantis tipped a shot, that appeared destined for the back of the net, over the crossbar.
It was not a solo effort. The River Hawk defense kept the Holy Cross threats manageable.
"She didn't need to be brilliant or acrobatic," said Monteiro. "We did a bit of growing up tonight. We tightened up defensively; we're continuing to evolve."
The tie was the first for the first year Division I UMass Lowell club after 13 losses. The match was a non conference affair. Holy Cross is now 2-8-4.
As solid as UMass Lowell was defensively, the team struggled to create offense. Some of that could be blamed on slick field conditions that appeared to haunt River Hawk ball possession, some of it might best be described as lack of offensive confidence.
"We've pounded away at instilling belief in the players," said Monteiro. "We need to believe we're good enough to possess the ball and create offensive opportunities."
The River Hawks return to action on Thursday afternoon when they visited the University of New Hampshire in Durham. They will be back home Sunday, 12:00 pm, to host the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
