September 28 at Vermont (4 p.m.)
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September 30 vs. New Hampshire (2 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team has a busy weekend ahead with its first back-to-back America East Conference games of the season. The River Hawks will first visit Vermont for a 4 p.m. matchup on Friday, September 28 before returning home to host New Hampshire on Sunday, September 30 beginning at 2 p.m.
 
River Hawk Rewind
UMass Lowell split a pair of decisions last week to move to 5-3 overall on the year and 0-1 in America East action. A goal in the final minutes of regulation was the difference in a 1-0 setback against No. 24 UAlbany in the team's first league game of the season on Sept. 21. The River Hawks bounced back, though, ending the weekend on a high note with a 5-1 victory against Quinnipiac on Sept. 23. Junior Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium) scored twice in that outing to lead the offense. Junior goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) tallied a season-high 10 saves in the first game of the weekend against the Great Danes.
 
Leading the Flock
Through eight games, senior Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) paces the River Hawks with eight goals and 20 points. Anouk Lalande follows with 15 points. In addition to Huk, freshman Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) and sophomore Clara Defourt (Brussels, Belgium) are tied for the team lead with four assists. Eva Berkhout owns the 5-3 record in the cage, totaling 38 saves and a .792 save percentage.
 
Scouting Vermont
The Catamounts are 3-6 so far this season following a pair of non-conference, road setbacks last week. Vermont fell, 3-1, at Monmouth on Sept. 21 before dropping a 3-2, overtime decision at La Salle on Sept. 23. Landon Warren has a team-best five goals and 10 points through nine games. Olivia Hurd, who adds to the offensive effort with five points, leads the squad with three assists. In the cage, Sierra Espeland has made 41 saves for a .651 save percentage.
 
Scouting New Hampshire
The Wildcats are 2-6 right now, but will open their America East schedule against Maine on Sept. 28 before taking on the River Hawks. Last weekend, the team went 1-1, defeating Bryant, 6-0, on Sept. 21 and facing a 6-0 setback against No. 9 Boston College on Sept. 23. Bailey Fanikos is first on the squad with three goals and six total points, while Nicky Bajus follows with five points. Kelsey Rudert, who is 1-5 in the cage for UNH, has made 24 stops and has a .615 save percentage.
 
Series History
The Catamounts own an 11-6-1 advantage in the all-time series against the River Hawks, although UMass Lowell picked up a pair of wins last season, including a 4-3, double-overtime thriller on Senior Day. Sunday's contest will mark the ninth meeting between UMass Lowell and New Hampshire in the sport of field hockey. The Wildcats swept the season series in 2017, including a 4-3 victory at home on October 22.
 
Senior Success
Torrie Huk hit the ground running for her senior season and already boasts 20 points for the second time in her career. She is currently ranked eighth in the nation for points per game (2.50). Huk, who is the River Hawks' Division I leader for career goals with 35, has now moved into a tie for 11th 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, now touting 80.
 
Spreading the Love
With the River Hawks 5-1 win against Quinnipiac on Sept. 23, four of the team's five wins so far have featured at least three different goal scorers.
 
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 six categories as a team right now, including being ranked 15th in points per game (8). Individually, Torrie Huk is ninth in the nation with 1.0 goals per game, while Eva Berkhout is ninth with a .792 save percentage.
 
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 5-0 in 2018 (and 15-4 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
Jenna Berger scored her first career goal against Quinnipiac (9.23) … 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.