LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Anna Edson (Beverly, Mass.) tallied a goal and an assist to help the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (8-6-2, 5-3-1 AE) defeat the Maine Black Bears (3-7-4, 1-6-2 AE) by a score of 3-1 on Thursday night at Cushing Field.
 
"I'm really proud of this group and I'm very happy to come away with a win tonight," said Head Coach Mira Novak. "Tough Maine team, hard to play against. I'm glad that we found a way to win. I think the team's mentality is great, they showed a lot of grit tonight and came together to get the result we wanted."

Freshman Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) and senior Emily Nelson (Peabody, Mass.) scored late second half goals to add to the offense. Senior goalkeeper Farrell O'Shaughnessy (Bedford, Mass.) made seven saves on the night, as the River Hawks came away with the win. With the decision, UMass Lowell has claimed a spot in the six-team America East Championship, which is set to begin on Sunday, October 31.
 
The River Hawks began the game under plenty of pressure from Maine's offense. The Black Bears continued to press early on, but the River Hawk back line held on and kept Maine off the score sheet. UMass Lowell's first chance in front of goal came in the 18^th minute, when junior Stephanie Kemp got behind the Maine defense in alone on goal, but Maine's goalkeeper Kira Kutzinski made a left leg save to keep the score tied at 0-0. Just a minute later, in the 19^th minute, sophomore Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) found Edson at the top of the box, where she got off a first-time, right-footed strike to score her second goal of the season and give the River Hawks a 1-0 lead.
 
O'Shaughnessy made her first big save of the night in the 30^th minute, as she made a diving stop to push a shot from the top of box over the bar and away from danger. The senior would make another identical save just minutes later in the 34^th, pushing another Maine effort over the bar and out, giving the River Hawks a 1-0 lead at the break.
 
The River Hawk defense stifled the Maine offense in the second half until the 74^th minute, when Maine's Abby Kraemer scored from close range to tie the game, 1-1. O'Shaughnessy made yet another great save when Maine was awarded a free kick at the corner of the box in the 79^th minute. The senior's diving, outstretched hand pushed the shot wide and kept the River Hawks level.
 
Papatheodorou scored her 10^th goal of the season in the 87^th minute, placing a shot in the top left corner of the goal. Redshirt-junior Chaima Khammar (Cologne, Germany) picked up an assist on the River Hawks' late tally. Only a minute later, the River Hawks would add a third goal to seal the victory. Nelson scored her third of the season, finishing off a feed from Edson to secure a 3-1 win.

"The new season starts right now. We did our job tonight and we wanted to win on senior night, and we did just that. This is the closest this league has been in the last few years and it will be a challenge, but we'll be ready for whatever is coming."
 
The River Hawks finished in the second spot in the America East regular season standings and will await the matchup to be released by the America East Conference.