LOWELL, Mass. – Backed by two River Hawk goal scorers, freshman Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) and junior Anna Edson (Beverly, Mass.), the UMass Lowell women's soccer team defeated Holy Cross, 2-0, on Thursday night in the start of 2021 action.
 
The River Hawks kick-off their campaign with a 1-0-0 record, while the Crusaders suffer their first loss of the season, falling to 0-1-0.
 
"We were looking for a good start," commented Head Coach Mira Novak. "At this early point of the season everyone is fresh, so it was physically a very challenging game. I'm really happy for the team and the work they put in, along with their high-level ability to compete."
 
Papatheodorou tallied her first points as a River Hawk, giving UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute when she dogged three Holy Cross defenders and sent a shot past the hands of the Crusader keeper, Olivia Dubin.
 
Seeing her first points of the 2021 season, Edson would up the advantage to 2-0 with 6:47 remaining in the first half when she went head-to-head with the Crusader defense, beating them down and sending one across. Newcomer Lærke Niklasson (Roskilde, Denmark) was credited with her first career assist, pushing the ball to Edson from center field.
 
Led by rookie goalkeeper Morgan Wesson (Monson, Mass.), the UMass Lowell defense held the Crusaders to just six shots in total. Wesson earns her first clean sheet after making two key saves between the posts.
 
Up next, the River Hawks will hit the road for the first time in 2021, taking on Boston University at 7 p.m. on Sunday night.