LOWELL, Mass. – Freshman Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) found the back of the cage in the 65th minute to propel the UMass Lowell field hockey team (6-4, 4-3 AE) to a 1-0, overtime victory against America East rival New Hampshire (4-6, 1-5 AE) on Senior Day.
 
"As per usual, this conference is ultra-competitive, so we expected UNH to bring their best game today and they did," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "I thought it was an evenly-matched game with us taking most control in the fourth quarter. Obviously, not being able to finish then, but being able to carry that momentum into overtime was certainly helpful."
 
Four of the River Hawks' last five games have now gone to overtime, with UMass Lowell taking three of those four decisions.
 
The game-winner came less than five minutes into the first overtime period when sophomore Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands) dribbled into the circle and drew the Wildcats' keeper out of the cage, allowing Gans to finish off the loose ball with a back-handed chip up into the netting.
 
Gans now leads the River Hawks with three goals this season. Freshman goalkeeper Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) registered three saves en route to her fourth shutout of the season, good for a new Division I program record.
 
UMass Lowell accounted for the game's only three shots on goal in the first half, all of which came off the stick of sophomore Kate Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.). She came close to getting the team on the board late in the first quarter, breaking away from the defense to earn a wide-open attempt, but a good kick save by UNH's Jemma Woods kept it scoreless.
 
Coming out of halftime, the River Hawks quickly earned the first corner of the afternoon, but Defourt's attempt was also stopped.
 
The Wildcats controlled the third quarter, outshooting their hosts, 7-2, and taking a 3-1 advantage on corners, but the UMass Lowell defense held steadfast.
 
The River Hawks then came firing back in the fourth with a 6-0 edge in shots. And although the team was unable to end the game then in regulation, UMass Lowell had built the momentum it needed to break through in overtime.
 
The River Hawks will now wrap up the regular season next Friday, April 16 when they host Stanford at 1 p.m.