LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (1-0-0, 0-0-0 AE) opened the new season with a 2-1 win over the Merrimack Warriors (0-1-0, 0-0-0 NEC) on Thursday night at Cushing Field.
Sophomore
Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) scored the first goal of the season and junior
Chloe Layne (Wrentham, Mass.) picked up her first assist as a River Hawk on the opening tally. The two also connected for the game-winning goal, this time with Papatheodorou providing the assist for Layne's late goal.
"It's always good to start the season with a win. I think we had some good moments in the game but in terms of a complete performance, we're not quite there," said
Mira Novak. "We had some good looks in the final third and I'm happy we were able to put away those chances when it mattered the most. We're looking forward to Georgetown on Sunday and testing ourselves against a strong team."
Freshman
Mia Robinson (Greenland, N.H.) made her collegiate debut, earning the starting spot in goal for the River Hawks. The rookie was called to action early, making her first save of the evening in the second minute. Merrimack came out strong to start, controlling possession in the opening 10 minutes but could not put together a threat on the UMass Lowell goal.
The back line for the River Hawks looked sharp early on, thwarting the Warriors' attack, and keeping the ball away from Robinson. The freshman was called to action in the 24
th minute, when she was forced to come across the goal and make a save on a Merrimack free kick. UMass Lowell built its attack from the back and Layne managed to get another shot on goal, but the score remained tied. Moments later, senior
Allison LeBlanc (Saugus, Mass.) came up with a goal line clearance from a Merrimack set piece, keeping the visitors off the board.
The deadlock was broken in the 33
rd minute as the River Hawks once again built their offense out of the back. Senior
Emily Nelson (Peabody, Mass.) found the ball in the middle of the pitch before playing Layne in behind the defense. The junior then fed a pass to Papatheodorou who spun the defender and slotted home the game's opening goal. UMass Lowell held a 1-0 lead at the break.
Freshman Bára Beránková (Hradec Králové, Czech Republic) made her collegiate debut, taking over in goal for the second half. The River Hawks had a few early chances with Layne missing a header just wide of the post and senior
Lily Fabian's (Monson, Mass.) long-range shot forcing a diving save from Merrimack's goalkeeper.
The Warriors tied the game in the 76
th minute as Vanessa Wainwright's shot found the top corner. It did not take long for UMass Lowell to respond, as the hosts took the lead just 11 minutes later. Senior
Anna Edson (Beverly, Mass.) won the ball in the defensive third and found senior
Julia Edholm (Stockholm, Sweden) in the midfield. Edholm then played a perfect pass through the defense to Papatheodorou who drove forward to the goal. Papatheodorou's cut back allowed her space to find Layne at the penalty spot who finished off the play and gave the River Hawks a 2-1 lead.
UMass Lowell held on in the last few minutes of the match and came away with an opening day victory. The River Hawks will travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Georgetown Hoyas on Sunday, August 21. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Shaw Field.
