West Hartford, Conn. – Hartford's high-octane offense proved to be the deciding factor as the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (2-6-3, 0-1-0 AE) opened conference play on Sunday (8-1-1, 1-0-0 AE) at Al-Marzook Field, falling to the Hawks 4-2.
 
"It's really hard to come back from down 2-0, 3-0, but the level of fight and determination to come back – I'm very happy with that and how the team responded, playing until the last second and trying to get back," said interim head coach Mira Novak. "If we keep the same level of focus and energy going forward, I'm not worried about competing in the conference."
 
Hartford was afforded a corner kick three minutes into the game, and Skylar Vitiello was able to find the ball in the scrum in front of the net and connect, putting the Hawks up early.
 
Bridgette Alexander notched the second goal of the game, receiving a touch pass from Kaila Lozada and finishing from 10 yards out in the 35^th minute.
 
The teams each attempted six shots in the first half, featuring two near-goals from both Rachel Morrier (Plaistow, N.H.) and Emily Nelson (Peabody, Mass.). Lozada attempted three shots in the first stanza, but the River Hawks were able to hold Hartford's leading shot-taker scoreless through the first 45.
 
The second half offered a solid scoring chance for the River Hawks early on, as Morrier sent a spot-on corner kick just in front of Hartford's net. Rachel Chase (Bedford, Mass.) connected on a header but the Hawks were able to stave off the UMass Lowell attempt.
 
A few minutes later in the 53^rd minute, Hartford capitalized again, this time with a penalty kick by Lozada to put the Hawks up 3-0.
 
Lily Fabian (Monson, Mass.) kept the River Hawks' hopes alive in the 58^th minute, scoring from the top of the box off a pass from Morrier. Fabian now has three goals and nine points on the season.
 
The scoring continued in the 64^th minute – Schneider dove to prevent a Hartford attempt in front of the net, but Ashley Claud gathered the loose ball and scored in the open net.
 
The River Hawks wouldn't give up, though, as Veronica Morrier (Plaistow, N.H.) scored her first career goal from outside the six-yard box off a pass from Dunja Mostarac (Belgrade, Serbia). With UMass Lowell back within two goals, the River Hawks made a final push to even things up, but time ran out for a final score of 4-2.
 
Julia Schneider (Bridgewater, Mass.) had a big game with 10 saves, surpassing the 300-career save milestone, now with 302.
 
After three games on the road, the River Hawks are back at home next Sunday to face UAlbany at 5 p.m.