Box Score
Photo Gallery

LOWELL, Mass. – The University of Rhode Island scored two goals 29 seconds apart late in the second half as the UMass Lowell Women's Soccer team fell to the visitors, 4-3, Thursday, at the Cushing Field Complex.

It's a 90 minute game and you can't play for 88 and fall asleep for two," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Joel Bancroft. "This group is going to have to learn to close out games and this will prove to be a good lesson tonight."

UMass Lowell's record falls to 0-1-0, Rhode Island is 1-0-1.

It was a game that featured scoring in bursts; the two team combined for five goals in a span of seven-minutes and seven-seconds midway through the first half.

Rams freshman Emily Wakefield broke the ice scoring in the 30th minute of play, but the River Hawks responded almost immediately. UMass Lowell freshman Katelyn Vieira (Warwick, R.I.) evened the score, 25-seconds later, with a right foot drive into the left corner of the net from 18 yards out.

Freshman Isabelle Marquez (Seattle, Wash.) gave the River Hawks a lead in the 33rd minute banging home a loose ball following a free kick. UMass Lowell's lead was short lived, surviving only 68-seconds. Wakefield knotted the score with her second goal of the game.

Less than three minutes later the resilient River Hawk club had the lead back. Sophomore Rachel Morrier (Plaistow, N.H.) buried a penalty kick in the right corner of the net.

"We had a really good response when we go down 1-0 by scoring the next two goals," said Bancroft. "Then we responded when they drew even."

UMass Lowell played a strong, controlled, second half, but for a two-minute span that changed everything. URI's Alex Stanton and Katrin Gylfadottir scored goals 29-seconds apart and the River Hawks never recovered.

"Up to that point (in the game) every metric; possession, shots, corners, everything you like to chart was in our favor," said Bancroft. "If you give a good program like URI, with a rich history, the opportunity to get back into the game it's going to be a problem and that's what happened."

Rhode Island had a shooting edge in the contest, 13-11. UMass Lowell goalkeeper Julia Schneider (Bridgewater, Mass.) made four saves. Katie Nickles, in net for the Rams, made four saves as well including a point blank stop on Morrier with eight-minutes left in the match.

The River Hawks had the edge in corners, 4-3.

The River Hawks return to action on Sunday, 6:00 p.m., when they host Northeastern University at the Cushing Field Complex.