LOWELL, Mass. – Three, first-half goals stood as the difference in a 3-0 loss for the UMass Lowell field hockey team (9-7, 2-6 AE) against Stanford (4-8, 3-5 AE) on Senior Day.
 
"We made three mistakes and there were three goals on the scoreboard from those," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "After the break, we played with a little more confidence and speed, and stuck to our game plan of pressuring the ball a little higher, but it didn't result in any goals on the scoreboard."
 
Junior Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands) paced the River Hawks with five shots on the day. Defensively, sophomore Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) totaled five saves to take the decision, while senior Rose Cuozzo (Wilmington, Mass.) added a pair of stops of her own.
 
The Cardinal took an early advantage in just the seventh minute of play, as Haley Mossmer sent a long ball ahead that Lily Croddick was able to track down, take into the circle and win a one-on-one with Boekhorst to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.
 
Stanford added to its lead on a corner in the 15^th minute thanks to a direct attempt from the wing by Molly Redgrove.
 
The Cardinal threatened again in the 24^th minute when a tip off Mossmer's stick sailed just wide. The visitors would add one more to their lead just before the break, however, on a play that saw Rose Winter chase down a ball and redirect it on target with the edge of her outstretched stick.
 
Coming out of the break, the River Hawks quickly took control of possession and earned a corner in the first four minutes, but a shot by senior Lindsey Kilpatrick (Manlius, N.Y.) was blocked. The home team earned two more corners in the period and outshot Stanford, 6-3, and although Megan Salsinha (Westport, Mass.) found the back of the cage after a collision with the opposing keeper, the goal was waved off and the three-goal margin remained intact.
 
With just over three minutes left in regulation, senior Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) earned a penalty stroke, and despite putting a good angle on her ball, the Cardinal's Cara Sambeth made a great blocker save.
 
Berger, Cuozzo, Kilpatrick, along with fellow seniors Lauren Brushingham (Syracuse, N.Y.), Grace Davis (Waterloo, Ontario) and Hannah Keefe (Westford, Mass.) were honored in a special pregame ceremony.
 
With the decision, the River Hawks 2021 campaign comes to a close, as the team finishes just shy of earning a post-season berth, but with a winning record for the second straight season.