FRESNO, Calif. – The UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (0-2) was in control of the lead for the majority of the game at Fresno State (1-0) on Sunday afternoon at the Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium, but eventually fell to the Bulldogs, 14-12.
 
Cameron McKelvin (Westminster, Md.) notched a game-high five goals, beating her previous career-high of four goals from 2018. Kristina Keith (East Kingston, N.H.) tallied her second hat trick in a row, while Paige MacEachern (Lynnfield, Mass.) chipped in two goals. Kendyl Finelli (Southborough, Mass.) added three assists, now averaging three points per game this season. Fresno State's Sydney Skalstad finished with four goals.
 
"It was a tough loss today, for sure," said Head Coach Carissa Medeiros. "Our team came out focused and on fire, which set a high tempo to the game. Unfortunately, we weren't able to sustain that pace for 60 minutes and allowed Fresno State to chip away at the lead we built. At the end, we just ran out of gas. Overall, though, we were pleased with a number of adjustments that were made in a short turnaround from game one."
 
UMass Lowell scored the first two goals of the game, with tallies by Keith and Hannah Rose (Framingham, Mass.) before Fresno State answered back at 24:24. The River Hawks continued their offensive push, though, as Keith scored, followed by Lauren Hopsicker (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) — her first career goal.
 
With the River Hawks up 5-1, the Bulldogs scored two straight goals in the span of 14 seconds to cut the lead. Goals by Keith and McKelvin helped the River Hawks to maintain the lead as time wound down in the first half, but Fresno State finished the half with a pair of goals, and the teams went into halftime tied at 10.
 
MacEachern opened the second half with a quick goal to regain the lead, but the Bulldogs scored twice off free positions to take the lead.
 
With the River Hawks down by two heading into the final five minutes, MacEachern got on the board again with a clutch free position goal to tighten the race. The Bulldogs scored with eight seconds to play, though, and held on for the 14-12 win.
 
McKelvin and Gabby Torain (Glen Burnie, Md.) each notched a pair of caused turnovers, while Kelly Moran (Newfields, N.H.) earned eight draw controls for another strong showing. The River Hawks attempted 33 shots to Fresno State's 25.
 
UMass Lowell now returns to the East Coast for a matchup at Boston University on Saturday, Feb. 16.