LOWELL, Mass. – Seven different point scorers propelled the UMass Lowell field hockey team (1-0) to a 5-0 victory against Bryant (0-2) in the 2021 home opener on Sunday.
"We had great synergy and energy right from the beginning," said Head Coach
Shannon LeBlanc. "After not getting to finish the opener at Maryland, the team was really excited to get out here and play a full game, so they certainly brought the energy from front to back. It was an awesome, full 60 minutes of great hockey."
Senior
Lara Ansaldi (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina) led the way for the River Hawks offensively with the first goal and assist of her career for three total points. On the other end of the field, sophomore
Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) stopped all three shots she faced for her fifth career shutout. As a team, UMass Lowell outshot Bryant, 24-4, and took a 5-3 edge on corners.
The River Hawks did not waste any time attacking, charging through the circle with junior
Kate Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.) ringing a shot off the post in the first minute of play. The home team kept the pressure on, outshooting Bryant, 6-0, in the first quarter, but the game remained 0-0 through the first 15 minutes.
UMass Lowell broke open the stalemate in the second quarter, though, building a 4-0 advantage. Junior
Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands) first put her team on the board in the 19
th minute, redirecting a ball high up into the net on the first corner of the day. Just over two minutes later, senior
Hannah Keefe (Westford, Mass.) converted on a corner opportunity of her own.
Later in the period, senior
Isobel Sargent (Hampton Fall, N.H.) finished a loose ball in the circle before Ansaldi made it 4-0 at the break with her squad's third corner goal of the afternoon.
Back on the turf for the second half, sophomore
Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) gave UMass Lowell the 5-0 advantage when she dribbled into the circle, beat her defender and fired a line drive past the Bulldogs' keeper.
Bryant threatened to cut into the difference in the final seconds of the third quarter with back-to-back lasers by Taryn Rauff, but Boekhorst batted away both chances to secure clean sheet.
The River Hawks will be back in action at home on Sunday, September 5 when they welcome No. 6 UConn.
