September 21 vs. No. 24 UAlbany (7 p.m.)
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September 23 vs. Quinnipiac (2 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team gets back out own its home turf this weekend, hosting a pair of games at Wicked Blue Field. The River Hawks first welcome No. 24 UAlbany on Friday, September 21 to kick off America East play at 7 p.m. before facing off against Quinnipiac in a non-conference tilt on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m.
 
Spread Respect
Friday's game against UAlbany is one of three America East Spread Respect games on UMass Lowell's campus this fall. The game will focus on hazing prevention to kick off National Hazing Prevention Week. You are invited to join the River Hawks, UMass Lowell Greek life and SAAC at Wicked Blue to start the conversation and see how organizations across campus are working together to eliminate hazing. The America East Conference and all of its member institutions are proud to stand with coaches, student-athletes and fans to Spread Respect by ensuring equality and safety for all without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.
 
River Hawk Rewind
UMass Lowell split a pair of decisions last week to move to 4-2 on the year. The squad first faced a 2-0 setback at Fairfield on Sept. 15 before bouncing back with a 4-1 victory at Sacred Heart on Sept. 16. Junior Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium) paced the team in the win with a pair of goals, including the game-winner. Junior goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) tallied a season-high nine saves in the first game of the weekend against the Stags.
 
Leading the Flock
Through six games, senior Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) paces the River Hawks with seven goals and 17 points. Anouk Lalande follows with 11 points. Freshmen Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) boasts a team-best four assists. Eva Berkhout owns the 4-2 record in the cage, totaling 23 saves and a .742 save percentage.
 
Scouting No. 24 UAlbany
The Great Dane are now 4-2 in 2018 following a 2-0 week. The squad picked up a 4-0 road victory at Lafayette on Sept. 16 after downing Bryant, 2-0, on Sept. 14. Ghislaine Beerkens has a team-best four goals and nine points through six games. Frederike Helmke, who adds to the offensive effort with six points, leads the squad with two assists. In the cage, Melissa Nealon has made 17 saves for an .850 save percentage with three shutouts.
 
Scouting Quinnipiac
The Bobcats are 3-4 right now, but will host Georgetown on Friday before making the trip to Lowell. Last weekend, the team faced an 8-0 loss at No. 2 Connecticut on Sept. 15 before picking up a 6-1 victory against against Brown on Sept. 16. Makayla Adams is first on the squad with four goals and nine total points, while Kelsy Hopkins follows closely with seven points. Brooke Whipkey and Elisa Ruiz Martinez each total two assists. Hannah Teicher has already turned away 31 shots this season for a .646 save percentage.
 
Series History
The Great Danes own an 11-1 advantage in the all-time series against the River Hawks. UMass Lowell defeated UAlbany for the first time ever last season on Sept. 29 when the squad battled to a 2-1 overtime victory on the road. The River Hawks own a slight, 3-2 edge in the all-time series against Quinnipiac following a 3-2 victory in the most recent meetings between the teams in 2016.
 
Senior Success
Torrie Huk hit the ground running for her senior season and already boasts 17 points. She is currently ranked fourth in the nation for points per game (2.83). Huk, who is the River Hawks' Division I leader for career goals with 34, has now moved into sole possession of 12th place on the program's all-time goals list. And if that's not enough, with one goal and one assist at Sacred Heart on Sept. 16, the senior forward became the UMass Lowell's Division I leader for career points, as well (77).
 
Exciting Endings
The River Hawks battled to their first overtime victory of the year on Sept. 7, taking down Columbia, 4-3, in the 87th minute. The team has built a strong résumé in extra time, and is now 6-2 in games that have gone to overtime since 2017.
 
National News
The River Hawks are in the national rankings, listed in the top 20 in 10 categories as a team right now, including being ranked 12th in points per game (8.5). Individually, Torrie Huk is sixth in the nation with 1.17 goals per game and Eva Berkhout is 20th with a .742 save percentage.
 
Around the League
UMass Lowell is currently tied for second in the America East with a 4-2 record in 2018. Jenna Berger leads the league with 0.67 assists per game.
 
Hot Start
UMass Lowell opened 2018 with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2015. In both those games, the River Hawks were the first to score. The team is now 4-0 in 2018 (and 14-4 since 2016) when scoring first.
 
Stonewalling the Opposition
Goalkeeper Eva Berkhout logged her first career shutout in the 2018 opener against Bryant on Aug. 24. She then shut out Hofstra on Aug. 26 to give the team its first back-to-back clean sheets since 2012. This also marked the first time that the team opened the season with a pair of shutouts since the program's Division II National Championship run in 2010.
 
Weekly Awards
Jenna Berger garnered America East Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 11 thanks to her game-tying and game-winning helpers against Columbia. Torrie Huk and Eva Berkhout opened the 2018 season with America East Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week nods, respectively, on Aug. 28. Huk led the team with eight points (3g, 2a) in two games, while Berkhout made six saves in back-to-back shutouts.
 
Notables
Freshman Rose Cuozzo (Wilmington, Mass.) registered her first career saves (2) at Sacred Heart (9.16) … Torrie Huk logged her second-career hat trick and first of the season against Columbia (9.7) … Jenna Berger tallied a personal- and team-best two assists against Columbia (9.7) … Clara Defourt (Brussels, Belgium) registered her first goal of the season vs. No. 8 Louisville (9.1) … Anouk Lalande tallied a hat trick against Hofstra (8.26) … Lindsey Kilpatrick (1g) and Taryn MacKinnon (1a) each posted their first career points against Hofstra … Grace Davis notched the her first collegiate points with a goal and assist against Bryant (8.24) … Jenna Berger recorded her first point on an assist against Bryant.