LOWELL, Mass. – Despite putting up 19 shots, including 11 on goal, the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (7-4-1 , 4-1-0 America East) struggled to find its footing, falling to conference opponent University at Albany (3-5-4, 2-1-2 AE) 1-0 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.
Going against a physical Great Danes defense, sophomore
Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) was able to put up four shots on goal to lead the River Hawks. Defensively, freshman
Lisa Sjögren (Skellefteå, Sweden) kept UMass Lowell in the game, tallying four saves in 93 minutes of play.
"It just goes to show anybody can win in this conference," said Head Coach
Mira Novak after the loss. "We put ourselves in a solid position earlier to win it, and we didn't."
The River Hawks got rolling early, starting the game with a corner kick in the third minute. Senior
Olivia Sandahl (Skövde, Sweden) sent in a rocket of a shot, which was blocked at the last second by the UAlbany defense.
Only minutes later, UMass Lowell found themselves with another great opportunity to score. Freshman
Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) snuck the ball around the Great Danes' goalie Cassandra Coster, taking a shot on net that missed just wide.
The Great Danes responded midway through the half as they began to control the ball, tallying a few shots against UMass Lowell. However, thanks to a few key blocks and a save by Sj
ögren, the teams entered the half locked at zero.
The second half started off with both teams trading shots, hoping to connect and hit the back of the net. The Great Danes had their best chance of the game in the 56th minute, as Jasmine Colbert was able to make a move. Quick to combat, the River Hawks put pressure on Colbert, forcing her to send the shot right of the net.
UAlbany began piling on the shots as the second frame carried on. UMass Lowell continued to shut the Great Danes down, however, recording three saves on 12 shots while not allowing a goal.
With less than a minute left in regulation, the River Hawks had one last chance at ending the game. A set-up pass from freshman
Lærke Niklasson (Roskilde, Denmark) put Papatheodorou 15 yards out. The rookie proceeded to launch the ball over the net with only seconds remaining to send the team into extra minutes.
Despite a strong performance in the waning minutes of regulation, UAlbany came out victorious in overtime. Three minutes into the period, Great Danes attacker Jasmine Colbert launched a shot into the lop left of the net off her right foot, giving UAlbany the 1-0 win over the River Hawks.
UMass Lowell hopes to bounce back into the win column on Thursday, Oct. 14, when they host the Hartford Hawks. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
