Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team's 2017 season came to a close on Thursday with a 5-1 setback against No. 18 Stanford (11-7) in the quarterfinals of the America East Championship at Wicked Blue Field.
 
"Stanford turned on a level of field hockey and speed that we weren't anticipating in the first half, said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "We struggled for the first 35 minutes, but we collected ourselves at halftime, and certainly came out looking like a different team with a lot of speed, momentum and urgency. I was happy with how we recovered from the first half."
 
The River Hawks, who had earned the No. 4 seed in the East Division heading into the tournament for the second consecutive year, finish the season with a 9-11 overall record. Stanford, the top seed in the league's West Division, will move on to the semifinal round on Saturday, November 4.
 
"Getting back to this tournament for the second year in a row as a five-year-old team I think is amazing," Hlebichuk added. "Our seniors really bought into this program and have helped us get better every year. They've left us in a really good situation with regards to play and leadership, so I know the 2018 team will certainly build off of that."
 
Sophomore Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium) notched the home squad's lone goal in the decision, while classmate Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) turned away 10 shots in the cage.
 
Stanford controlled the momentum in the opening minutes of play, tallying the first goal of the game off the stick of Corinne Zanolli.
 
The River Hawks earned their first corner of the day in the 13th minute, but freshman Clara Defourt's (Brussels, Belgium) attempt from the top of the circle sailed just wide. The Cardinal would then add a trio of goals in a six-minute span to extend its buffer to 4-0 at the break.
 
UMass Lowell was aggressive coming out of halftime, outshooting the visitors, 5-1, in the first six minutes of the second. The hosts were able to get on the board in the 53rd minute, as senior Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) broke away from the pack and carried the ball all the way down the field before slipping a short pass by the Stanford keeper for the tip in from Lalande.
 
The teams traded possessions in the waning minutes until the Cardinal registered the final score of the day when Frances Carstens found Corinne Zanolli in the 62nd minute.
 
Thursday's contest marked the third meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Stanford in the sport of field hockey. The Cardinal now lead the all-time series, 3-0.