October 29 vs. Massachusetts (6 p.m.)
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November 3 at #23 UAlbany (1 p.m.)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team (7-8, 1-3 AE) will close out the 2019 regular season with a pair of games this week. The River Hawks will first square off against Massachusetts for their annual Kennedy Cup Challenge game on Tuesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. before traveling to No. 23 UAlbany on November 3 to fight for a spot in the 2019 America East Championship.
 
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
The River Hawks are battling for a spot in the six-team 2019 America East Championship that will be hosted by Monmouth from Nov. 7-10. The River Hawks need to win on Sunday at UAlbany, and have either Vermont or New Hampshire lose in order to clinch a playoff berth.
 
KENNEDY CUP
Tuesday's matchup will mark the field hockey installment of the 2019 Kennedy Cup Challenge between UMass Lowell and Massachusetts. The Kennedy Cup Challenge was established in the fall of 2018 and will be awarded annually to the university with the most wins in the cumulative season series between teams from UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst. With an 8-6 advantage across all sports, the River Hawks won the inaugural challenge last year. John Kennedy, a longtime supporter of both athletic programs, holds degrees from both institutions, Lowell Technological Institute ('70) and UMass Amherst ('76), with degrees in Mathematics (BS) and Accounting (MS), respectively.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks are currently 7-8 overall with a 1-3 mark in America East games. Last week, the squad faced a 3-1 setback against No. 21 Monmouth on Oct. 25. Junior Clara Defourt (Brussels, Belgium) tallied the lone goal for the team in that outing.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 15 games, Sofie Knook leads the River Hawks with seven goals and 15 total points. Sophomore Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) boasts a team-best six assists with 12 points, as well. In the cage, senior goalkeeper Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) has tallied 49 saves with a 1.88 goals against average.
 
SCOUTING MASSACHUSETTS
The Minutewomen own an 8-8 record in 2019, after winning four of their last five games. Most recently, the team faced a 2-0 setback against Boston University on Oct. 27. Lucy Cooper is first on the team with five goals and five assists for 15 points. Georgie McTear and Jess Beech follow with 12 points apiece. Goalkeeper Marlise van Tonder boasts 55 stops with a .764 save percentage.
 
SCOUTING No. 23 UALBANY
The Great Danes sit at 10-7 overall and 1-3 in America East games heading into their regular-season finale against the River Hawks. UAlbany fell, 2-0, at Maine on Oct. 25 in their only game last week. Dana Bozek is leading the team with 14 goals and 33 points, while Katie MacCallum totals a team-best seven assists with 23 points. Melissa Nealon totals 64 saves with a .744 saves percentage.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The River Hawks are looking for their first win ever against the Minutewomen in Tuesday's contest, which marks the seventh meeting all-time between UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst. UAlbany owns a 13-1 advantage against the River Hawks all-time, although UMass Lowell earned a double-overtime, upset win back in 2017. 
 
SHINING IN THE SHOOTOUT
The River Hawks have been at their best when under the pressure, improving to 2-0 at the Division I level during shootout play with the win at New Hampshire on Oct. 18. They previously also won in rare, shootout fashion against Georgetown back in 2017.
 
A HELPING HAND
Jenna Berger matched a Division I single-game program record with three assists in the win against Colgate. She also leads the team with a total of six assists on the year.
 
MAKING HISTORY
For the first time in its Division I history, UMass Lowell cracked the top 20 in the NCAA RPI rankings for the week of Sept. 23.
 
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks' offense has been a true team effort this season, as 14 different River Hawks have already logged at least one point in 2019. That mark is good for the second-most point scorers in a season during the program's Division I era.
 
PLAYING THE BEST
In order to prepare for their challenging conference schedule, the River Hawks played three nationally ranked opponents in their first four games this year.
 
STARTING STRONG
For the sixth consecutive year, the River Hawks won their season opener with the Fairfield decision. That contest also marked the second straight season-opening shutout for Eva Berkhout and the squad's back line.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Sofie Knook garnered her third America East Rookie of the Week nod on Oct. 22 after scoring five points in a 2-1 week. Classmate Kate Miller was tabbed the league's Rookie of the Week on Sept. 24 after tallying five points of her own in the win against Sacred Heart. Knook also earned a Rookie of the Week nod on Sept. 17 by propelling the River Hawks to victory against Ball State with a pair of goals and was previously tabbed Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3 following a successful collegiate debut that included a big defensive save in the 38th minute against Syracuse.
 
SPAIN 2020
Coach Hlebichuk has announced that her squad is headed to Spain in 2020 for the unique opportunity to experience the culture and the hockey. The team is looking for generous donors to help complete the fundraising efforts. For more information, or to donate, click here.
 
NOTABLES
Sophomore Sophie Kroeze (Laren, North Holland, Netherlands) tallied her first career goal at New Hampshire (10.18) … Jenna Berger tallied three assists against Colgate (10.6) … Grace Davis logged her first goals of the season with a personal-best five points at Dartmouth (9.29) … Kate Miller registered her first career goals against Sacred Heart (9.20) … Sofie Knook scored her first career goals against Ball State (9.15) … Berbel Rozema recorded her first career point with an assist against Fairfield (8.30).