LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Valerie Crory (Littleton, Mass.) logged a career-high three points to help lead the UMass Lowell field hockey team (1-1) to a 3-0 victory against LIU (0-2) in the River Hawks' 2022 home opener at Wicked Blue Field on Sunday.
 
The decision marked the squad's fifth consecutive shutout in a home opener. As a team, the River Hawks outshot the Sharks, 12-4, and took a 6-1 advantage on corners.
 
"This was fantastic," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "Any time we can open up on Wicked Blue with a shutout is exactly the way we want to start our home season. I'm super proud of the effort today by everyone. We got a tremendous amount of people in off the bench and we really showed our depth today, which was exciting."
 
Crory registered a goal and her first career assist on the day. Freshman Isabelle Halters (Noordwijk, Netherlands) and junior Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) each added a goal, as well. Junior goalkeeper Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) made one stop in the contest for her 10^th career clean sheet.
 
UMass Lowell earned the first corner of the game less than a minute into play, but a hard strike by senior Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands) was blocked. Late in the quarter, Halters sent in a laser off a reverse stick from the top of the circle before it was batted out of the air by the opposing keeper.
 
However, the River Hawks quickly took control of the scoreboard in the first three minutes of the second quarter. Halters netted her first career goal and the team's first of the season when she finished Crory's sweep across the front of the cage in the 17^th minute. The home team kept the pressure on and charged right back down the field on the next possession less than a minute later. On that play, senior Kate Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.) sent a ball into the circle for a tip on target by Crory, giving UMass Lowell a 2-0 edge.
 
The River Hawks added to their advantage just after the break in the 33^rd minute, as Gans converted on a direct corner thanks to assists from graduate student Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) and junior Alissia de Vries (The Hague, Netherlands).
 
In the 36^th minute, LIU tested Boekhorst for the first and only time in the outing, but she expertly kicked away a hard ball by Kaitlyn Olton.
 
Halters would threaten to add an insurance goal with just over one minute left on the clock with another reverse stick attempt, but the 3-0 decision stood as final.
 
The River Hawks head out to Amherst to square off against Massachusetts in the annual Kennedy Cup game on Friday, September 2 at 3 p.m.