LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Allison LeBlanc (Saugus, Mass.) scored her first career goal with just one second remaining to help rescue a point for the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (7-6-4, 4-2-2 AE) in a dramatic 1-1 game against New Hampshire (8-5-2, 5-1-2 AE) on senior night at Cushing Field.
 
LeBlanc scored the lone goal for the River Hawks while sophomore Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) led the team with four shots, two on goal. Graduate student Emily Nelson (Peabody, Mass.) and redshirt senior Chaima Khammar (Cologne, Germany) both added a shot on goal. Redshirt junior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made one save on the night.
 
"I think the first half was a little slow from both sides, very few chances created," said head coach Mira Novak. "It took us awhile to get going and clicking tonight. We conceded early in the second half, but you saw the energy from the team, and they wanted to fight to win this game for the seniors. We were able to find a way in the last 10 seconds there and get the draw."
 
Prior to kickoff, the six seniors and four fifth-year student-athletes on the team were honored in a senior day ceremony with friends and family in attendance. The game began with the Wildcats applying a high press to the River Hawk defense. The visitors got their first chance of the night in the fourth minute, a shot that went wide of the goal. New Hampshire continued to press, but the back line bolstered by Allison LeBlanc and graduate student Dunja Mostarac (Belgrade, Serbia) came up with several blocked shots to keep the game level early.
 
UMass Lowell was pinned in their defensive end for most of the opening minutes of the game, but managed their first attempt in the 10^th minute, with Papatheodorou's shot going wide of the net. Neither side created too many quality chances on goal in the first half, with much of the game being played in the midfield. Both teams battled hard for possession but could not create a real threat on goal.
 
It was a defensive battle in the opening 45 minutes and a physical game, with both sides staying disciplined. The teams went into the break tied at 0-0, with shots 6-5 in favor of New Hampshire.
 
The visitors jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 48^th minute as Ella Dudley's attempted cross sailed into the top corner of the net to give New Hampshire the all-important first goal. Less than 10 minutes later, the Wildcats had another opportunity going forward, but a sliding challenge from Mostarac relieved the pressure. As the game went on, the River Hawks began gaining more momentum and found ways to get through the New Hampshire midfield. Junior Chloe Layne (Wrentham, Mass.) danced around two defenders in the 62^nd minute and sent in a curling cross, but Papatheodorou's header was blocked and cleared from danger.
 
UMass Lowell's pressure on the Wildcats' back line continued to grow as the game reached the final 15 minutes. More good buildup through the midfield allowed Papatheodorou to slip behind the defense, but the high line drew the sophomore offside to null the River Hawks' opportunity.
 
With the final seconds of the game counting down, the River Hawks found an equalizer at the last second from an unexpected source. The Wildcats cleared the ball from their box with less than 10 seconds to play. Looking for one last attempt on goal, Allison LeBlanc sends the ball back into the New Hampshire box. Cat Sheppard came out to claim the shot, but the ball sailed over the goalkeeper's hands and bounced in with just a second remaining in the game. LeBlanc's first career goal salvaged a point for the River Hawks at the death and ended the game in a 1-1 draw.
 
The regular season has concluded and with Thursday's result, the River Hawks will be the #4 seed in the America East Championship. UMass Lowell will host #5 UAlbany on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 4 p.m. at Cushing Field.