Friday, October 30 vs. New Hampshire (3:30 p.m.)
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Sunday, November 1 at Albany (1 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team will close out the 2015 regular season will two America East Conference games this week. The team will square off against New Hampshire in its last home game of the year at Wicked Blue Field on Friday, October 30 before traveling to No. 8 Albany on Sunday, November 1 for the River Hawks' season finale. Friday's game is slated to begin at 1 p.m. while Sunday's match will be a 1 p.m. tilt.
 
Remembering Toni Onikeku
This past summer, UMass Lowell unexpectedly lost one of its student-athletes, Toni Onikeku. He was a high jumper on the men's track and field team, and an executive board member on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Last year at the New England Championship, he jumped a personal-best of 2.09 meters. He was He was not only an outstanding athlete, but an incredibly dedicated person, who spent time volunteering at a refugee shelter in Lowell. The UMass Lowell and UNH field hockey teams will play Friday's game in honor of Toni, wearing blue ribbons and participating in a moment of silence prior to the start of the contest.
 
Looking at UMass Lowell
UMass Lowell is 5-12 overall and 0-6 in America East action in 2015. The squad is looking to snap an 11-game skid. Last week, the team was handed an 8-0 loss against No. 9 Liberty before falling, 4-1, against Vermont on Senior Day. Through 17 games, freshman Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) paces UMass Lowell with seven goals and 15 points. Sophomore Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) and junior Georgia Cowderoy (Ashmore, Queensland, Australia) each boast five goals and three assists for 13 points apiece to add to the offense. Senior Jenna Freitas (Manchester, N.H.) follows with four goals and one assist for nine points, as well. Senior captain Sophie Watt (Sawtell, Australia) is setting up most of UMass Lowell's scoring chances in 2015, as she has tallied a team-best six assists, in addition to eight total points. Sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Federico (Windham, N.H.) has earned every decision in the cage, totaling 114 saves and a .695 save percentage.
 
Scouting New Hampshire
New Hampshire owns a 7-9 overall record, including a 3-3 mark in conference play, heading into the final week of the regular season. In their most recent outings, the Wildcats defeated Vermont, 4-0, on Oct. 23 and fell, 4-3, against Albany on Oct. 25. Lindsey Nerbonne paces UNH with 10 goals and 21 points. Meg Flatley adds six goals and 14 points, while Ashley Mendonca and Jackie Hozza lead the squad with three assists each. In the cage, Melissa Rize carries the 7-9 record with 76 saves and a .639 save percentage.
 
Scouting No. 8 Albany
Albany, who currently sits at 15-2 overall and 6-1 in America East Action, is ranked eighth in the nation this week. The squad is on a six-game win streak heading into its season finale against the River Hawks. Last week, the Great Danes topped Maine, 3-1, on Oct. 23 and New Hampshire, 4-3, on Oct. 25. Paula Heuser is first on the squad with 21 goals and eight assists for 50 total points. Anna Bottino adds 26 points, as well. Fiori Van Rijswijk leads Albany with 11 assists. In the cage, Maxi Primus has played every minute with 58 saves and a .716 save percentage.
 
Series History
Friday's contest marks the fourth meeting between UMass Lowell and New Hampshire in the sport of field hockey. When the teams faced off earlier this season, UNH scored a pair of goals in the opening minutes to take a closely-contested, 2-1 victory and improve to 4-0 all-time.  On Sunday, the River Hawks and Great Danes will square off for the eighth time since 1995, and the second time this season. Albany earned a 3-1 decision earlier this year to maintain its undefeated all-time record against UMass Lowell.
 
Around the League
The River Hawks are currently fifth in the AE East Division standings. As a team, UMass Lowell ranks second in the league in saves (117) and saves per game (6.88), as well as third penalty corners (5.88).
 
Honors and Awards
Sophie Watt has been nominated for 2015 America East Fans' Choice Player of the Year, CLICK HERE to vote for her. Jenna Freitas received River Hawk of the Week honors on Sept. 8 for her two-goal performance against Holy Cross. Georgia Cowderoy was tabbed River Hawk of the Week on Sept. 1 after posting two goals in as many games. Kelsey Federico was named the first America East Defensive Player of the Week in 2015 on Aug. 31. She was recognized for helping the team get off to a 2-0 start this season with 15 saves in a pair of contests.
 
Focused on Offense
One of Coach Hlebichuk's keys to success for 2015 was to score more and the team has done just that. The River Hawks are averaging 1.76 goals per game this year, compared to 1.37 in 2014.
 
Close Calls
So far in 2015, 11 of the River Hawks' 17 games have been decided by just one goal. Add these to last year's 11 one-goal games, and 62.9% (22-35) of the team's outings since 2014 have been very closely-contested.
 
Calm under Pressure
Coach Hlebichuk's teams have thrived in 7-vs-7, sudden-victory situations. Earlier this season, the River Hawks scored less than one minute into overtime at Dartmouth on Sept. 4 to secure a 3-2 win. Including last year, UMass Lowell is now 4-2 in overtime decisions.
 
What a Start
Umass Lowell's 4-0 record to begin 2015 marked the program's best start of the Division I era. The last time the River Hawks were undefeated through four games was in 2010 when they won the Division II National Championship.
 
Other Notables
Kelsey Federico set a new career high with 14 saves against Liberty on Oct. 23 … Eleonore Agneessens posted her first goal of the season on Oct. 16 against Albany … Kristin Aveni tallied one goal and one assist for a career-high three points against Harvard on Sept. 27 … Torrie Huk's two goals at Hofstra on Sept. 18 marked a personal best … Marzana Fiedtkou registered the team's first defensive save of the year at Brown on Sept. 13 … The River Hawks' win against Brown was their first in the all-time series … Christa Doiron posted a career-high two assists and Jessica Walsh totaled a personal-best three points, including her first-career assist, at Massachusetts on Sept. 11 … Jenna Freitas' two-goal performance against Holy Cross on Sept. 6 tied a career-high she had originally set during her freshman season in 2012 … Torrie Huk and Jessica Walsh logged their first career goals at Dartmouth on Sept. 4 … The River Hawks started 2-0 for the second straight year … UMass Lowell's victory against Providence on Aug. 30 was their first ever against the Friars … Sophie Watt's goal against Quinnipiac on Aug. 28 marked her first career goal.