LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands) and freshman Isabelle Halters (Noordwijk, Netherlands) each tallied a goal in a 3-2 setback for the UMass Lowell field hockey team (12-6) against Monmouth (10-7) in the squad's regular-season finale and Senior Day game on Sunday.
 
The River Hawks wrap up their most successful regular season at the Division I level with program records for overall wins (12) and conference wins (6).
 
"I thought we played a tremendous game," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We had a lot of opportunities that maybe we didn't take full advantage of, but the hockey in the field that we played on both the attack and defensive ends, especially in the second half, was one of the best halves that I've seen us play all season long."
 
Halters finished the day with a team-high three points, adding an assist on Rozema's goal. Junior goalkeeper Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) logged two saves in the decision.
 
Boekhorst made a statement early in the contest, as Monmouth earned a breakaway with a one-on-one opportunity in the circle, but the veteran keeper came charging out, sliding to knock the ball off the opposition's stick and out of harm's way.
 
In the 11^th minute, freshman Meike Vischer (The Hague, Netherlands) dribbled into the circle, making a nice spin move around a defender to get an open look, but the Hawks' Phileine Hazen knocked the ball out of the air.
 
The visitors would take a 1-0 lead in the 12^th minute, when Annick van Lange fired from the top of the circle, although the River Hawks knotted the game in the 19^th minute thanks to a finish off the keeper's pads by Halters.
 
In the 28^th minute, graduate student Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) pulled the ball to her backhand and shot a laser for the go-ahead that missed just barely wide. Then, in the waning seconds, van Lange threaded a hard ball through the final two River Hawk defenders to put Monmouth on top, 2-1, at halftime.
 
Coming out of the break, van Lange struck again and completed the hat trick when she received a long pass and put a reverse stick chip on target, making the margin, 3-1.
 
The rest of the possession in the third quarter belonged to the River Hawks, though, as they threatened with 15 shots and six corners, but were unable to convert.
 
However, the home team kept the momentum heading into the fourth with Rozema getting a tip on a ball from outside the circle by Halters to cut the difference to just one.
 
The River Hawks will be the No. 3 seed in the America East Championship in Orono, Maine. Action begins on November 3 at 3 p.m. with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 New Hampshire.