WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – After battling through a scoreless first half, the UMass Lowell field hockey team (4-3, 2-2 AE) was unable to overcome a late goal in a 1-0 loss at Monmouth (5-2, 3-1 AE) on Friday afternoon at So Sweet A Cat Field.
 
"I'm proud of the team's performance today from the first to the last minute," commented Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "It was a highly competitive game and we created some great scoring opportunities that just didn't find their way into the goal. For the third consecutive game, our defense and Eleonore came up big against a very fast and skillful team. After four games in seven days, we are now looking forward to some rest and recovery in preperation for UVM next Wednesday."
 
Both teams were bolstered by strong goalkeeping performances, with UMass Lowell's Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, The Netherlands) notching four saves and the Hawks' Kate O'Hogan tallying three on the other end.
 
The River Hawks were held to just seven shots, including three on goal during the match. Sophomore Kate Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.) led the team with three attempts, including one on goal, while senior midfielder Sophie Kroeze (Laren, North Holland, Netherlands) recorded two shots and the first shot on goal for the visiting squad in the contest.  
 
Neither side was able to score in the first half due to physical defense by both teams. UMass Lowell had its best scoring opportunity in the 22nd minute when Kroeze sent a long pass to freshman forward Gianna Conte (Salisbury, Mass.) who dodged two Monmouth defenders just to have the shot bounce off the keeper's foot.
 
Monmouth came out of the break and put a lot of pressure on the River Hawk defense, taking two corners within the first minute of the second. The Hawks would make their lone connection just ten minutes later in the 42nd minute on their fifth corner opportunity of the afternoon.
 
Over the next 15 minutes of play, the home squad saw two more corner chances, but the River Hawk defense remained steadfast to keep the one-goal difference intact. The River Hawks fought to even the board over the final minutes, but Monmouth held off the attack to escape with the 1-0 outcome.
 
UMass Lowell returns to action on Wednesday, March 31, to face another America East foe in Vermont. That game is set for a 2 p.m. start at Moulton Winder Field.