LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (3-6-3, 1-1-0) earned their first conference win of the season with a 2-1 victory against UAlbany (6-5-2, 0-1-1) on Sunday evening at Cushing Field.
 
"It was fantastic – we had a full week to prepare for this game, so I think tactically, we were ready," said interim head coach Mira Novak. "It was a superb performance against a really strong team, and I think that the players responded really well today."
 
UMass Lowell got on the board just eight minutes into the game. Rachel Morrier (Plaistow, N.H.) received a corner kick from Emily Nelson (Peabody, Mass.), but her shot was blocked by UAlbany. Dunja Mostarac (Belgrade, Serbia) corralled the rebound, though, and tipped it back to Morrier, who sent a rocket into the upper left corner of the net. The goal marked Morrier's sixth of the season and 23^rd of her career.
 
UAlbany responded in the 22^nd minute off the foot of Sami Falkenstein, from a pass by Jasmine Colbert up the right side.
 
Mostarac tacked on a goal of her own in the 36^th minute after some action in front of the UAlbany net. Mostarac was able to take control of the ball just outside the six-yard box, chipping the ball over the head of UAlbany goalkeeper Andrea Leitner, and the River Hawks went into halftime up 2-1.
 
The second half featured back-and-forth action, and the River Hawks showed poise down the stretch as UAlbany made a late-game push.
 
UAlbany attempted 10 shots on goal to UMass Lowell's three, but Julia Schneider (Bridgewater, Mass.) made nine saves.
 
The River Hawks struck first for the third time this season, and scored two goals in the first half for just the second time. They are undefeated when scoring before their opponent.
 
The River Hawks continue their home stand with a game against New Hampshire on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.