LOWELL, Mass. – Fresh off a second straight clean sheet and third consecutive win, the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (6-5-2, 3-1-0 AE) returns to action this week for two more conference games. The River Hawks will travel to Orono to take on the Maine Black Bears (7-2-3, 3-0-2 AE) on Thursday night before returning home to host the UMBC Retrievers (4-5-4, 0-2-2 AE) at Cushing Field on Sunday afternoon.
October 13 at Maine (AE.tv – 6:00 p.m. ET)
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October 16 vs. UMBC (AE.tv – 1:00 p.m. ET)
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*The Baystate Marathon will be held in Lowell on Sunday afternoon. Please plan travel accordingly.
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks enter Thursday's contest after shutting out Bryant 3-0 at Cushing Field on October 9.
Ioanna Papatheodorou scored twice in the win, her second multi-goal game of the season. The sophomore leads the team in goals (8) and points (18) and sits second in the league in both categories.
Calliste Brookshire has tallied six goals and one assist for 13 points this season.
Taylor Burgess earned her fourth win and third clean sheet of the season after making eight saves against Bryant. With the win over the Bulldogs, UMass Lowell improved to 5-1 at Cushing Field this season.
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Maine sits atop the America East Conference standings with a 7-2-3 overall record and a 3-0-2 mark in league action. The Black Bears are also 4-0-2 this season when playing at home. Saylor Clark leads the team with six goals and one assist for 13 points this season. Abby Kraemer is second on the team in scoring with four goals and one assist for nine points. Goalkeeper Kira Kutzinski has played every game this season and has a 7-2-3 record. Kutzinski has a goals against average of 0.926, best in the league. The graduate student has kept five clean sheets in 12 appearances.
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell is 3-6 against Maine dating back to 2013. The River Hawks have won the last three meetings between these teams, outscoring the Black Bears 7-2 in that stretch. Last time the teams met, UMass Lowell came away with a 3-1 win behind goals from
Anna Edson,
Ioanna Papatheodorou and
Emily Nelson on October 28, 2021.
SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS
UMBC holds a 4-5-4 overall record with an 0-2-2 mark in league play this season. The Retrievers fell to UAlbany (2-1) last time out and have lost to Maine (3-2) earlier this season. They have also played to scoreless draws with Vermont and Bryant. Meghan McKye leads the team with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Seven other Retrievers have tallied one goal on the year. Morgan McGruder has played all 13 games in goal with a 4-5-4 record and a 1.08 goals against average. She has made 60 saves this season. UMBC has struggled on the road in the 2022 campaign, sporting a 1-2-4 record away from home. The Retrievers are set to take on NJIT on Thursday night before Sunday's clash in Lowell.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks are 7-2 against UMBC dating back to 2013. UMass Lowell has won the last six meetings between the two sides, outscoring the Retrievers 17-3 in that span. The last time UMBC won in Lowell was a 2-0 victory in 2015. Last time the teams met,
Ioanna Papatheodorou scored the lone goal to give UMass Lowell the three points.
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
UMass Lowell has enjoyed the home slate this season, putting together a 5-1 record at Cushing Field. The River Hawks have outscored opponents 18-8 at home and have kept two clean sheets. The team is 2-0 in conference games in Lowell and have won the last four games played at Cushing this season.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Ioanna Papatheodorou was the leading scorer in the league last season, tallying 10 goals for 20 points. The sophomore has eight goals through 13 games this season. She has added two assists to total a team-high 18 points. The River Hawks will look to their star striker for more production as points in the conference grow more important.
VETERAN CORE
The River Hawks have returned four veteran members of the team this season in graduate students
Emily Nelson,
Dunja Mostarac and
Lily Fabian, and redshirt senior
Chaima Khammar. The veteran leadership group has been key in getting the newcomers acclimated and raising the level of play on the field. Having been through several seasons, the group leads by example on and off the field.
CONFERENCE RANKS
Ioanna Papatheodorou sits second in the league in goals (8), points (18), shots (47) and shots on goal (21).
Calliste Brookshire is tied for third in the league with six goals this season.
Lily Fabian is tied for the league lead in assists, tallying four so far. The River Hawks have scored 25 goals this season, second most in the conference.
