HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell (1-1) field hockey team suffered its first defeat of 2017, dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to Hofstra (1-1) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks battled from a 2-0 deficit in the first half, but saw the Pride's Madison Georgiana converted the game winner with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation.
 
After a scoreless opening 15 minutes, Hofstra scored a pair of goals in a five-minute span to open a 2-0 advantage at 19:14.
 
Anouk LaLande (Brussels, Belgium) continued her strong start to her sophomore season with both of the River Hawks' first half tallies to send the game into the half knotted up at 2-2. With just under six minutes left in the first, the forward cut in deficit in half after collecting her own rebound. Morgan Irons (Bordentown, N.J.)) picked up her first assist of the season on LaLande's second tally with 69 seconds left on the clock.
 
Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Netherlands) made nine saves in the contest, including four in the first 15 minutes of the second frame to keep the score even.
 
The River Hawks managed six shots on goal in the first half, but could only force Carys Swan to make one stop in the final 35 minutes.
 
UMass Lowell is back in action on the road at Miami (OH) on September 1 for a 5 p.m. start.