Box Score (PDF)

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team (4-2) faced a 5-2 setback in a non-conference matchup against Pacific (2-3) on Sunday afternoon at Wicked Blue Field.
 
"In the first half, we played some of the best hockey we've played all season long," said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "Pacific is a well-structured, well-coached and skilled team, so for us to compete with them for that first 35 was outstanding on our part. In the second half, we had a 10-minute breakdown that cost us the game. Essentially, we played a good, 60 minutes of hockey, but in that 10-minute period, they took it to us. Against a great team like Pacific, you can't have that lull."
 
Play was contained in the middle of the field for the majority of the first half, as neither side was able to register a shot for the first 16 minutes of play. Pacific then worked to put the pressure on with four attempts on goal in the remainder of the period, including a hard ball by Kriekie van Wyk that skidded into the far left corner of the cage to give the Tigers a 1-0 edge at the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, the visitors quickly extended their buffer to 2-0 on a direct corner by Savannah Burns that was assisted by Emma Leach and Ash Rutherford.
 
The River Hawks cut the difference back to one in the 44th minute, when senior Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) dribbled the ball into the circle on a restart and dished a centering pass to sophomore Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium) for the one-timer on goal. However, the Tigers answered with two more tallies of their own just over a minute apart to pull in front, 4-1, in the 47th minute.
 
Later in the period, van Wyk completed the hat trick with a reverse stick shot from the stroke line. The River Hawks accounted for the final goal of the contest, as freshman Sophie Gehrels (Zeist, Utrecht, Netherlands) collected her first collegiate points by redirecting an initial attempt from classmate Clara Defourt (Brussels, Belgium).
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) finished with six saves on the day, while senior Kelly Mankowich (East Windsor, N.J.) added a defensive save on the goal line.
 
Sunday's contest marked the first meeting ever between UMass Lowell and Pacific in the sport of field hockey. The River Hawks will wrap up the current three-game homestand in their next outing on Friday, September 15 when they host Fairfield at 4 p.m.