LOWELL, Mass. – Juniors Molly Shaw (Marshfield, Mass.) and Abby McLaughlin (Walpole, Mass.) each tallied four goals as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (3-10, 1-3 AE) took down the Merrimack Warriors (3-8, 3-1 NEC), 15-6, on Wednesday night.
 
"It was a good team win," said head coach Lisa Miller. "It was nice to have the opportunity to work some of the younger kids into the play. On both sides of the ball I thought they were aggressive and went to the cage and made some stances defensively."
 
Alongside Shaw and McLaughlin, junior Izzy Liquori (Agawam, Mass.) added in two goals, while five other River Hawks tallied a goal, including freshman Hailee Lomasney (Peabody, Mass.) who recorded her first career goal. In net, graduate student Alex Salim (East Islip, N.Y.) played all 60 minutes, allowing only six goals with eight total saves.
 
After a strong defensive start to open the game, the River Hawks were able to strike first off a of free-position goal by McLaughlin. Merrimack was able to battle back, tallying their first goal of the night to tie the game. However, Liquori broke the tie after she was able to fire one into the back of the net, which was quickly followed by a goal from Shaw to take a two-goal lead five minutes into the game. The remainder of the quarter was full of strong defensive battles, as Merrimack added only one more goal. Junior Anna Bauter (Dexter, N.Y.) tallied the final goal of the quarter with just over two minutes to play, giving UMass Lowell the two-goal lead.
 
The second quarter saw an offensive explosion from the River Hawks, as they tallied seven goals in the period, including a five-goal scoring run to finish the half. Shaw tallied her fifth hat trick of the season while Lomsaney scored her first career goal. Liquori and McLaughlin both added in their second goals of the night. UMass Lowell's defense continued to lock down the Warriors' offense, allowing only one goal throughout the quarter, giving UMass Lowell the 11-3 lead at the break.   
 
In less than four minutes, McLaughlin opened the half with back-to-back goals to total four on the day and tie her career high. Minutes later, Merrimack would record their fourth goal of the night, ending the River Hawks seven-goal scoring stretch. Midway through the third, Shaw broke past a defender to tally her fourth goal of the night, tying her season high. The Warriors' and River Hawks' defenses held strong, as the teams allowed a combined three shots over the final seven minutes of the quarter.
 
Merrimack continued to battle in the fourth quarter, tallying two goals over the period, but sophomore Audrey Ehler's (Hingham, Mass.) first goal of the season would cap off an impressive performance from the River Hawks, finalizing the 15-6 score.
 
Next up, the River Hawks celebrate the seniors as they take on #5 Stony Brook at Cushing Field on Saturday, April 16, at 3 p.m.