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LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Bianca Jones (Watertown, Mass.) notched her first hat trick of the season to lift the UMass Lowell field hockey team (4-5) to a 3-2 overtime victory against UC Davis (3-6) on Saturday afternoon at Wicked Blue Field.
 
"UC Davis was a fantastic opponent," said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "They outworked us in the first half, but we made a couple adjustments at halftime and I think that made the difference in order for us to get back in the game. Bianca (Jones) was fantastic today. For her to score a hat trick against a great opponent is not an easy feat and we're really proud of her efforts out there. We will rest tonight in preparation for a quick turnaround at Harvard and focus on making some small adjustments, so that it'll be a fun game on Tuesday night."
 
Jones was aided by assists from freshman Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) and fellow senior Chelsea Chronopoulos (Tyngsborough, Mass.) in the outing. Senior co-captain Carrie Dresser (Plaistow, N.H.) and freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Federico (Windham, N.H.) anchored the team's backfield with one defensive save and four stops, respectively.
 
The action was contained to the middle of the field for the first seven minutes of play before the River Hawks were able to take an early lead on their first chance of the day. Doiron gained control near the 25-yard line before sending a pass ahead to Jones, who connected on a shot that found the upper corner of the cage.
 
UC Davis threatened to knot the score shortly after on its first corner. Jamie Garcia took the shot from the top of the circle, but a great defensive save by Dresser extinguished the opportunity. The Aggies would get on the board with 16 minutes remaining in the first half, however, when Augustina Singh connected with Kristin Rodgers to make the score 1-1.
 
The visitors would pull ahead, 2-1, just four and a half minutes later on a direct corner scored by Garcia. UMass Lowell battled through the waning minutes of the period, but was unable to get another chance before the break, allowing the Aggies to take the one-goal margin into halftime.
 
 The River Hawks were aggressive coming out of the break and came close to erasing the difference less than a minute into play, as sophomore Georgia Cowderoy (Ashmore, Queensland, Australia) launched a shot that ricocheted off the post and behind the opposing keeper, but did not cross the goal line.
 
With 20:30 still to go in the contest, Jones struck for the second time on the afternoon, receiving the ball in the circle and drawing the goalkeeper out of position before making a move around her and shooting into the open cage to tie the score at 2-2.
 
The teams traded possession and attempts throughout the remainder of regulation with neither side able to pull ahead, forcing a 15-minute overtime period. UMass Lowell controlled the momentum, carrying the ball into their offensive circle three times in the first extra minutes. UC Davis put a ball on goal, but was called back for being untouched in the circle.
 
The game-winner came with less than three minutes remaining in the first overtime, as Chronopoulos dribbled the ball into the offensive zone on a breakaway before dishing to the left side of the circle for Jones, who was able to tip it in past the opposing keeper, sealing the 3-2 decision.
 
Saturday's contest marked the first meeting ever between UMass Lowell and UC Davis in the sport of field hockey. The River Hawks return to action on Tuesday, September 27 when the squad travels to in-state opponent Harvard University for a 6 p.m. tilt.