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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team (3-5) fell, 3-1, against Hofstra University (7-1) on Friday afternoon at Wicked Blue Field in Lowell, Mass.
 
"Hofstra was the better team out there today," said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "They were very skilled and composed. We were our own worst enemy out there and didn't follow through on fundamentals like trapping and passing. I was really proud of our effort to put the ball in the cage in the first five minutes, but we let them get back in the game right away, so I think overall we need to learn to keep our composure and be a little more defensive-minded, especially against a skilled team like Hofstra."
 
Senior Bianca Jones (Watertown, Mass.) notched the lone goal of the day for the River Hawks, marking her sixth on the year. Freshman Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) added three shots on goal and freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Federico (Windham, N.H.) tallied nine saves.
 
UMass Lowell was quick to get on the scoreboard in the first half, as the attackers swarmed the cage less than five minutes into play on an inital shot by Doiron that bounced off the opposing keeper and towards Jones, who finished with a goal on the put-back.
 
The lead was short-lived, however, thanks to a hard shot on target by Charlotte Loehr, who converted on the Pride's first corner opportunity of the day at 26:49 to knot the score at 1-1. Three minutes later, Hofstra was able to pull ahead, 2-1, when Simca Schoen broke free from the pack and sent a pass ahead to Claudia Marin Samper alone in the circle for the 1-on-1 shot past Federico.
 
After several minutes of back-and-forth action, the Pride extended its margin to 3-1 on another corner play, this time when Marin Samper grabbed a loose ball that bounced off the crossbar before she put it on cage to give the visitors a two-goal margin at the break.
 
Hofstra rattled off the first five attempts coming out of halftime, but Federico and the River Hawks' backfield held firm. Sophomore Eleonore Agneessens (Brussels, Belgium) and Doiron threatened with shots on goal for the home squad, but both were kicked away. Jones followed with a breakaway attempt of her own, dribbling the ball around the last line of defense before scooping a shot just wide left.
 
The River Hawks had one final chance with less than a minute remaining in the contest, as Doiron took control of the ball during a scramble in front of cage, but her shot was turned away, sealing the 3-1 decision.
 
Friday's contest marked the fifth meeting between UMass Lowell and Hofstra in the sport of field hockey. The Pride now owns a 4-0-1 advantage in the all-time series. The River Hawks will return to action on Saturday, September 27 when they welcome UC Davis to Wicked Blue Field for a 1 p.m. tilt.