Geny Decker scored twice as Yale University defeated UMass Lowell, 3-1, Sunday afternoon in the River Hawks home opener at the Cushing Field Complex.

The loss was the fourth in as many games for the UMass Lowell who returns to action next Friday at Cleveland State. Yale improves to 2-0-0.

"Our team continues to fight and to commit themselves to improving every game," said Head Coach Elie Monteiro. "I think that's what we did today."

The coach's concern is that players understand the growth that is taking place and not get down on themselves.

"We've got a mountain to climb and everyday is going to be a learning experience," Said Monteiro. "We're getting better game by game and we just ran into a very good opponent today."

Yale took a 1-0 lead in the 18^th minute of play, Decker burst down the right side, after taking a pass from Melissa Gavin, beat the defender and drilled the ball inside the left post.

The River Hawks evened the count, at one, in the 25^th minute as freshman Taylor Packwood (Somerset, N. J.) chipped the ball over Yale Goalkeeper Elise Wilcox, who'd come out to cut down the angle, and into the back of the net. The assist went to junior Haley Benson (Winthrop, Mass.) who set the attack in motion with a long ball.

The visitors took charge in the second half scoring twice. Gavin scored in the 77^th minute on an assist from Frannie Coxe and Decker closed it out, in the 87^th minute, with her second goal of the game; a blast from 25 yards away.

Yale outshot UMass Lowell 12-5. River Hawk goalkeeper Jill Carlson had three saves as did Wilcox at the Yale end of the field. Despite the loss Monteiro sounded upbeat.

"The commitment is there, the effort is there, the hunger is there," said Monteiro. "We just need to continue to get better every day.