AMHERST, Mass. -- The UMass Lowell women's soccer team faced their first setback of the season, after dropping a 3-0 decision to Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon at Rudd Field.

"A tough game for us in tough conditions," commented Head Coach Mira Novak. "With the pace of the game and the high heat, it took us a bit in the first half to adjust the ball the way we wanted to move it. Looking at the shots, I give credit to the team for fighting to come back in the second half. We pushed, but it just wasn't our day."
 
Despite the score, UMass Lowell battled through the entirety of the match, posting an unbalanced 18-14 margin in shot opportunities over the Minutewomen to go along with a 7-6 edge in corner kicks.
 
The River Hawks were in a prime position to score first when sophomore forward Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) found her chance off a one timer, all to be stopped by the hands of goalkeeper Bella Mendoza.
 
With time ticking down in the first frame, rookie Kelli Buckley (Shrewsbury, Mass.) found space in front of the Massachusetts net on back-to-back opportunities late in the 40th minute, but was outdone by the Minutewomen's last-ditch effort at 44:46, netting the first one of the day off the foot of Lauren Robles.
 
The hosts set the tempo for the remainder of the contest, opening the second stanza with consecutive goals in the 47th and 49th minute from the likes of Karina Groff.
 
Looking for a late rally, the River Hawks would use strong offensive efforts from Brookshire, Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) and Emily Nelson (Peabody, Mass.), all putting up shots within the final ten minutes.
 
Freshman Morgan Wesson (Monson, Mass.) went the full 90 in net making three saves on the day. Massachusetts's, Bella Mendoza and Megan Olszewski, split their time between the posts, securing five and four saves, respectively.

On deck, the River Hawks will welcome in the Fairfield Stags for a nigh time matchup on Monday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. on Cushing Field.