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LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) scored a pair of first-half goals, as the UMass Lowell field hockey team (5-6, 1-1 AE) defeated New Hampshire (3-8, 1-2 AE), 2-1, on Friday evening.
 
The exciting decision marked the River Hawks' first America East Conference victory since 2013, in addition to the team's first win ever against the Wildcats.
 
"I thought we executed our game plan exactly how we had prepared all week," said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "UNH is a tough opponent. They've got some great players up the middle. We knew in order to win this game we had to keep the ball out of their hands quite a bit and I think we did a good job of that."
 
Huk was aided by senior Annie Villare (Chlemsford, Mass.) on both goals, while junior Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) picked up an assist of her own. Freshman goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) made six stops on the night to improve to 3-0 so far in 2016.
 
The Wildcats pressured in the opening minutes of play, earning the first three corners of the day before taking a 1-0 lead when Lindsey Nerbonne finished a rebound off of Berkhout's pads.
 
The lead was short-lived, though, thanks to back-to-back goals from Huk for the River Hawks. The sophomore first put UMass Lowell on the board with a hard shot from the top of the circle on a direct corner. Seven minutes later, Huk struck again, this time receiving a long pass from Villare and putting a one-timer on cage to give the home squad a 2-1 advantage at the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, New Hampshire outshot the River Hawks, 5-1, in the first 15 minutes of action, but the attempts were thwarted by Berkhout and her back line. UMass Lowell followed with good chances from Doiron and Huk, but both were turned away by the UNH keeper. Luchino also had an opportunity in the final minutes, keeping the momentum with the home team, as they held on to seal the 2-1 win.
 
Friday's contest marked the fifth meeting ever between UMass Lowell and New Hampshire in the sport of field hockey. The Wildcats still lead the all-time series, 4-1. The River Hawks return to action on Sunday, October 9 when they make the trek up to Vermont for a 1 p.m. tilt.