LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team played to a scoreless draw against Army West Point in their season opener on Sunday night. Junior Rachel Morrier had four shots including one on goal.
 
"We were able to play a lot of kids," explained Women's Soccer Head Coach Francesco D'Agostino. "The kids dug down deep. Anytime you go into overtime, I think it builds character. Defensively, we are very solid and we created some chances that we didn't quite finish, but it's getting better and better everyday. We saw some things tonight that were exciting and surprising and we're just going to keep building on it."
 
Both teams struggled keeping possession in the first half, but did have a handful of chances. UMass Lowell goalkeeper Julia Schneider recorded her first save of the game off of a Black Knight corner kick that found the head of Clare Shea that was headed right to the gloves of the junior keeper.
 
The River Hawks found their best chances in the second half as the offense started clicking. Freshman Kristin Birgisdottir had the first good chance of the night for the home team when she connected on a pass from Freshman Karah Fleet that split the defense. Birgisdottir dribbled past the goalkeeper on the left side and put a shot that was just wide, hitting the side of the net.
 
Fleet would get the next opportunity when she took the pass from midfield through the defense and put a shot towards the goal, but hit the right side of the netting.
 
Army found their rhythm in the second half, getting four more shots on goal, but the captain stepped up for her team, stopping all of the chances created by the Black Knights.
 
After 90 scoreless minutes, the teams headed to overtime. Morrier recorded the only shot on goal in the two overtime periods by either team when she took a shot from a pass that found her feet just outside the box, but was right to the Army goalkeeper.
 
The Black Knights finished the match with a 15-8 shot advantage and a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks. Schneider recorded her eighth career shut out, finishing the night with eight saves.
 
The River Hawks travel to Smithfield, R.I. on Aug. 23 to face the Bryant Bulldogs at 3 p.m.