LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Seven years ago today on September 22, 2013, the UMass Lowell field hockey team defeated St. Francis University, 3-2, to secure the program's first ever victory at the Division I level.
 
Making the jump from Division II to Division I is never easy, but it takes even more resiliency and determination when you are used to consistently being one of the best teams in the national, as was the case for the River Hawks.
 
"Watching the 2013 team earn their first Division I win is something that will never leave my memory," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "That group of young women was such a positive, resilient, hard working group. Seeing their smiles after beating St. Francis last the entire seven-hour trip home is something I will never forget. They felt so accomplished that day."
 
Although St. Francis struck first off a penalty corner opportunity in the 12th minute, the River Hawks knotted the score late in the first on a goal by Georgia Cowderoy. UMass Lowell then jumped in front on two quick goals early in the second by Kelly Freitas and Melissa Effertz. The Red Flash would battle back and make it a one-goal game with less than a minute left, but the River Hawks held strong for the victory.
 
"That first win, above anything, was a huge relief," remembered Freitas. "The team was feeling a lot of pressure that year because we had come from being this powerhouse DII program and had ended that era with a trip to the national championship. I remember on that corner play where I scored, I wasn't even supposed to take the shot, but the defense came up so fast, I couldn't slip the pass like we planned. I had to think on my feet and just take the shot. And let me tell you, the ball hitting the backboard is the best sound ever. I don't think I've jumped so high in my life!"
 
Freitas explained how much it meant to her and her teammates to help lay a foundation for a young Division I program.
 
"I think I scored four times at UMass Lowell as a defensive midfielder, and to have one of those goals be from a game that finally made us feel like we could hang with these teams, we could win, we belonged in DI, was everything. That game really defined the start of the DI era for UMass Lowell field hockey."
 
Coach LeBlanc echoed her sentiments that the 2013 squad helped shape the future of her program.
 
"Elevating from DII to DI was an incredibly challenging experience for that team, but I know that the 2013 team is so proud of the foundation they left," concluded the veteran coach. "They left their legacy of grit and never quit attitude that still surrounds our program to this day."