LOWELL, Mass. – The No. 2 UMass Lowell women's soccer team (8-7-2, 5-4-1 AE) fell to the No. 6 New Hampshire Wildcats (7-8-3, 5-4-1 AE) in a penalty shootout on Thursday night at Cushing Field.
"It's a playoff game so it stings a little more, but I thought we had a good start tonight," said Head Coach
Mira Novak. "I thought we put ourselves in good positions. The second half was back and forth, and I was really pleased with the goal we scored. It's a tough way to end the season."
Senior
Hailey DuBose (Raynham, Mass.) scored her first of the season and freshman Lisa Sjögren (Skellefteå, Sweden) made six saves in the America East semifinal match.
The River Hawks pinned the Wildcats in their own end to begin the game. The first real chance for UMass Lowell came in the 9
th minute, when freshman Ioanna Papatheodrou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) collected the ball at the top of the box and fired a shot that was saved by UNH's Cat Sheppard. In the 16
th minute, Sjögren made a diving save to push a UNH shot wide of the post, the first save of the night for the River Hawk goalkeeper. UMass Lowell would get another chance to take the lead, as junior
Anna Edson's (Beverly, Mass.) right footed effort was pushed away by a diving Sheppard. The River Hawks and Wildcats would head into the break tied 0-0.
UMass Lowell opened the second half applying more pressure on the UNH back line. In the 53
rd minute, sophomore
Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) found space on the left wing, but saw her shot go over the bar. The River Hawks would open the scoring in the 59
th minute, as redshirt junior
Chaima Khammar's (Cologne, Germany) direct free kick was headed into the net by
Hailey DuBose to give UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead.
In the 78
th minute, Sjögren made a crucial save as UNH's Francesca Picicci snuck by the defense and created a scoring chance for the Wildcats. Sjögren quickly jumped off her line to close the space and made a diving save to keep UMass Lowell in the lead. The Wildcats would level the score at 1-1 just minutes later, as Anna Hewlett's strike found the back of the net. A late chance from Papatheodorou went wide and the teams would head to sudden death overtime.
Both teams had chances in the first half of extra time, but neither side could find a winner, forcing another 10-minute extra time period. Papatheodorou had the River Hawks' best chance of the second overtime, as her shot from just outside the box was deflected over the bar. Despite plenty of possession and time in the attacking third, UMass Lowell could not find a winner and the game would be decided in a penalty shootout.
The River Hawks season came to an end, as UNH won the 10-round shootout 8-7, and the game 2-1, to advance to the America East Championship.
"I'm extremely proud of the team and this group of seniors. They've led this team so well and have pushed us to new levels of success here," said Novak. "They bought into the program four years ago and I am so proud of everything they have done. They are wonderful players and people, and I will support them in whatever they do in the future."
