September 7 vs. Columbia (7 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team will host Ivy League member Columbia in its lone game this week on Friday, September 7 at 7 p.m. It will be a White Out for the River Hawks at Wicked Blue Field with a special t-shirt giveaway for the first 100 fans.
 
River Hawk Rewind
UMass Lowell faced a hard-fought setback in its only decision last week to move to 2-1 on the young season. The squad visited Longwood on August 31, but following a three-hour weather delay, the game was cancelled and not made up. From there, the River Hawks then made the short trip over to Richmond, where they squared off against No. 8 Louisville in a neutral-site contest. Both sides battled through a scoreless first half, but the ACC power eventually earned the 2-1 victory.
 
Leading the Flock
Through three games, senior Torrie Huk (Milford, Del.) paces the River Hawks with eight points. She is tied for first on the squad with three goals with junior Anouk Lalande (Brussels, Belgium). Huk, sophomore Clara Defourt (Brussels, Belgium), and freshmen Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) and Grace Davis (Waterloo, Ontario) boast two assists apiece. Eva Berkhout owns the 2-1 record in the cage, totaling 10 saves and a .833 save percentage.
 
Scouting Columbia
The Lions are 1-1 this season after falling, 3-2, to Quinnipiac in their opener on Aug. 31 and defeating Monmouth, 3-1, in their most recent outing on Sept. 3. Danielle Buttinger currently leads the team with two goals and four points. Three other Lions have scored one goal apiece, including Jennifer Trieschman who totals three points. Goalkeeper Katie Dempsey has turned away six shots so far with a .600 save percentage.
 
Series History
The River Hawks and the Lions have met just once previously, as Columbia earned a 2-1 decision during UMass Lowell's first year of Division I competition back in 2013.
 
National News
The River Hawks are in the national rankings, listed in the top 10 in six categories right now. The squad sits seventh in the country for assists per game (3.33) and 10th for points per game (10.0). Sophomore goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) is third in the nation with 0.67 shutouts per game and eighth with a 0.67 save percentage, as well.
 
Around the League
The River Hawks are currently second in the America East with a 2-1 record in 2018. UMass Lowell is also ranked second in multiple categories, including goals against (10), goals for (10) and points (30). Torrie Huk currently leads all conference scorers with eight points, while Huk and Anouk Lalande are tied for first with three goals.
 
Hot Start
UMass Lowell opened 2018 with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2015.
 
Stonewalling the Opposition
The River Hawks did not allow a goal in the first two games of the season. This 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.
 
Shut.It.Out.
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.
 
Weekly Awards
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
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.