CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Despite scoring with just over a minute to go in regulation to even the board, the UMass Lowell field hockey team (9-4) dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker in the final seconds of double overtime at No. 15 Harvard (9-3) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks earned a corner in the 80^th and final minute of action with a shot from senior Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands) that made its way behind the keeper, but a defensive save by Siena Horton on the goal line sent play in the other direction. The Crimson would then cross into their offensive circle and force back-to-back corners in the final seconds, during which Siofra Murdoch came through with a putback that ended the game.
 
"When you take the number 15 team in the country into double overtime and lose with four seconds left, I think everyone feels a bit unfulfilled," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "Upon reflection, we can take the positives out of our performance. We played a fantastic second half and showed tremendous Lowell grit. We can build off this game and it certainly provided us great preparation for Albany next week."
 
Rozema tallied the lone goal of the day for the River Hawks and paced the team with four shots. Junior Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) turned in a valiant effort in the cage, registering a season-high 11 saves.
 
The Crimson controlled their turf in the first half, taking a quick, 1-0 edge on a corner in the seventh minute when Bronte Brough fired hard on target from the top of the circle.
 
The home team added seven more shots in the half, but the River Hawk defense hung tough with the help of a pair of big saves by Boekhorst, keeping the difference at just one heading into the break.
 
The River Hawks came out of halftime more assertive on the offensive end, forcing their first three corners of the day in the third, which included solid chances from Rozema and junior Alissia de Vries (The Hague, Netherlands).  
 
Harvard threatened to add some insurance in the fourth quarter, but Boekhorst walled up in front of the cage, thwarting prime scoring opportunities for the home team. In the 52^nd minute, the Crimson's Olivia Hoover hit the post before Avery Donahue tried to send in a rebound that was stopped when Boekhorst laid out to clear the ball from the circle.
 
With just over a minute to go in regulation, the River Hawks were charging into their offensive zone when freshman Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) stretched around a defender and dumped a short pass over to Rozema, who pulled the ball to her right to set up a hard slap shot that sped high into the net to knot the score at 1-1.
 
Each side accounted for one shot on goal in the first 7v7 overtime, while UMass Lowell tallied the only two chances on target in the second extra period ahead of the game-winner.
 
The River Hawks will return to action on Friday, October 14 when their road swing takes them to UAlbany for a 3 p.m. matchup.