LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Lara Ansaldi (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina) recorded the lone goal of the afternoon, as the UMass Lowell field hockey team (3-1) earned a 1-0 victory against Hofstra (2-4) on Sunday.
 
"Hofstra brought their best performance at us and I don't think we gave our best performance," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "But this was a gritty, 1-0 win, and we are obviously always happy with a win. Certainly, there are some details that we could have better executed today."
 
Ansaldi found the back of the cage for the third time this season in just the fifth minute of a game that would turn into a defensive stalemate. Classmate Hannah Keefe (Westford, Mass.) registered the helper on that tally, while sophomore Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) made five saves to pick up her third clean sheet of the year.
 
On offense, the River Hawks outshot the Pride, 15-13, including a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal. On the other end of the field, the defense fended off 10 Hofstra corner chances to secure the shutout.
 
UMass Lowell controlled possession right from the start and kept the ball in their offensive end during the opening minutes of the first quarter, forcing three solid saves by Hofstra in the first minute. The home team then broke open the scoring in just the fifth minute on a corner opportunity when Keefe inserted to Ansaldi, who fired a hard ball past the Pride's Mirijn van der Vegt.
 
The River Hawks held their 1-0 lead throughout the second frame despite being tested by the Pride. The defensive corner unit fought off three chances for the visitors in the quarter and Boekhorst locked down the goal line with one impressive save after another.
 
Regrouping at the half, the teams played an evenly matched third quarter with three total shots apiece. The home team accounted for the only two attempts on target in the period, but those chances were kicked away by the opposing keeper.
 
In the fourth, both sides turned up the pressure. Junior Kate Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.) threatened to extend the River Hawks' lead when she dribbled through the circle and fired off a reverse-stick shot in the 50^th minute that was booted out of play.
 
Miller and sophomore Gianna Conte (Salisbury, Mass.) had the advantage on a breakaway in the 55^th minute, but Conte's turnaround, off-speed attempt trickled just wide of the far post.
 
The Pride pulled their goalkeeper for an extra forward in the final two minutes, but UMass Lowell held on for the hard-fought decision.
 
Up next, the River Hawks make the trek to Wagner for a 3 p.m. tilt on September 17.