LOWELL, Mass. – After trailing 2-0 less than 20 minutes into the game, the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (3-4-2, 0-0-0 AE) scored three unanswered goals to beat the Dartmouth Big Green (5-2-1, 0-0-0 IVY) in a thriller at Cushing Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
Senior Anna Edson (Beverly, Mass.) scored the go-ahead goal for the River Hawks and added an assist on the afternoon. Fellow senior Julia Edholm (Stockholm, Sweden) tallied her first goals of the season, scoring two headers in the first half. Freshman Bára Beránková (Hradec Králove, Czech Republic) made her third straight start in goal and tallied five saves to earn her second win of the season.
 
"I think it was a great team win. Going down 2-0 was tough, but we did a great job with our mindset and staying in the game," said Anna Edson. "[The game-winning goal] was super exciting. I know when Chloe [Layne] gets the ball out wide she's great at delivering crosses so when I saw her take that touch, I knew I had to get something on it. Great ball from Chloe and seeing my teammates all rush toward me was great!"
 
UMass Lowell started the game well but found themselves down 1-0 just eight minutes in as Dartmouth's Aspen Anderson put the visitors in front. Following the goal, the Big Green continued to pressure the River Hawk back line forcing a save from Beranková just before crucial defensive efforts from graduate student Dunja Mostarac (Belgrade, Serbia) and senior Allison LeBlanc (Saugus, Mass.) to keep the deficit at one. However, Dartmouth would double their lead in the 19th minute on a goal from Allie Winstanley.
 
It did not take long for the River Hawks to respond as Anna Edson stepped up to take a corner in the 23^rd minute. A curling ball was sent into the box where Edholm's diving header found the back of the net to cut the lead in half. The goal sparked life in UMass Lowell and the hosts created several more scoring chances. Sophomore Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) saw her shot in the 30^th minute cleared off the goal line before a follow-up attempt from junior Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) was sent just wide of the post.
 
With time winding down in the first half, the River Hawks were awarded a free kick on the left side of the Dartmouth 18-yard box. Graduate student Chaima Khammar (Cologne, Germany) whipped a cross into the box and Edholm was there to head home the tying goal. The teams went into the break even at 2-2.
 
Chances in the second half were fewer than the first half, but there was action was all over the field. It was a physical contest with both teams looking to pick up an important win before conference plays begin. The first good chance for the River Hawks came in the 58^th minute when junior Marissa Saucedo (Ventura, Calif.) forced the Dartmouth keeper into a diving save.
 
The visitors had their best chance of the half in the 67^th minute after a miscue from the UMass Lowell defense allowed the ball to find the foot of Dartmouth's Aleena Seales. The shot, however, went just wide of the near post and the score remained level.
 
The deadlock was broken just minutes later as Papatheodorou turned out of pressure to find junior Chloe Layne (Wrentham, Mass.) open on the left side of the field. The junior took one touch before whipping an out swinging ball into the box. Edson snuck behind the defense and headed the ball through the goalkeeper's legs to give the River Hawks a 3-2 edge.
 
Dartmouth fought until the final whistle, creating a few decent chances to tie the game, but the River Hawks held on to earn the victory.
 
"I think our start was okay today. It's obviously hard to concede two goals and to play from behind, but we were determined to put in a good performance and put ourselves in a position to get a result," said head coach Mira Novak. "I am happy with the team's resilience and not being satisfied with a tie. They're a good team [Dartmouth] and for us to measure ourselves against a strong opponent is great."
 
The River Hawks return to action on Sunday, September 25 to begin the America East Conference slate on the road at UAlbany. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Bob Ford Field.