LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Lara Ansaldi (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina) sparked a strong second half for her squad, but the UMass Lowell field hockey team (7-5, 1-4 AE) was unable to complete the comeback in a 2-1 decision against America East foe UAlbany (7-7, 4-1 AE) on Friday afternoon.
 
"This was a really competitive America East Conference match, as we expect every game to be," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We weren't sharp on our set pieces, which I thought hurt us, but our overall game play was something that we were proud of."
 
Ansaldi tallied her fourth goal of the season early in the second half of the outing. On the defensive end, sophomore Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) registered a season-high nine saves.
 
UAlbany kept possession in their offensive circle for the first five minutes of the contest until junior Kate Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.) earned the River Hawks' first look of the day.
 
The Great Danes then took advantage of a corner in the waning seconds of the first quarter, as Alison Smisdom collected her own rebound and put back a second-chance opportunity that gave her team the upper hand, 1-0.  
 
The visitors continued to pressure Boekhorst, who quickly reacted on three tough saves in the second. However, UAlbany extended its lead to 2-0 in the 19^th minute when Floor de Ruiter followed a string of tick-tack passes with a ball across the front of the cage that was finished by teammate Lara Mortz.
 
Neither side was able to do much offensively in the third quarter, but the River Hawks did cut into the margin in the 47^th minute on a corner thanks to a laser from the wing by Ansaldi.
 
UMass Lowell pushed for the equalizer down the stretch and would pull Boekhorst in favor of an extra forward in the last minute, but the visitors held on for the 2-1 outcome.
 
The River Hawks are back in action at home on Sunday, October 17 when they host LIU at 1 p.m. For any fans coming to that game, the Baystate Marathon will be running through Lowell, causing road closures and heavier than usual traffic. Plan to allow for extra time in your commute and see the course map for planning purposes.