LOWELL, Mass. – America East Conference action has begun, and the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (3-4-2, 0-0-0 AE) kicks off league play against the UAlbany Great Danes (3-5-1, 0-0-0 AE) on Sunday, September 25. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Bob Ford Field.
September 25 vs. UAlbany (AE.tv – 1:00 p.m. ET)
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LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks enter conference play after a week away from the field. Last time out, UMass Lowell erased a two-goal deficit and completed the comeback to take down Dartmouth 3-2 on September 18 at Cushing Field. With the win, the River Hawks improved to 3-1 at home this season. The team will look for its first road victory of the season against a strong America East foe in UAlbany. Sophomore
Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) leads the team with five goals and two assists for 12 points. Juniors
Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) and
Chloe Layne (Wrentham, Mass.) have each tallied three goals on the season.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
UAlbany enters Sunday after finishing last week with a 1-1 record. The Great Danes opened their conference slate with a 2-1 win over New Hampshire on September 18 before falling to Siena 2-1 on September 22. UAlbany is 2-2-1 at home this season. Emily Jozak leads the team with four goals on the year for eight points. Olivia Piraino has three goals this season for six points.
Megan Hart has started all 10 games in goal for the Great Danes with a 3-6-1 record and 38 saves.
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell is 4-5-1 against UAlbany dating back to 2013. Last time out, the Great Danes came away with a 1-0 victory in an October matchup in Lowell. The River Hawks' last win against UAlbany came in March of 2020, a 2-1 road victory.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Ioanna Papatheodorou was the leading scorer in the league last season, tallying 10 goals for 20 points. The sophomore is already halfway to reaching that mark again with five goals through eight games. She has added two assists to total a team-high 12 points. The River Hawks will look to their star striker for more production as the conference slate is around the corner. Paptheodorou sits second in the league in shots and shots on goal while leading the way in goals and points.
VETERAN CORE
The River Hawks have returned four veteran members of the team this season in
Emily Nelson, graduate students
Dunja Mostarac and
Lily Fabian and redshirt senior
Chaima Khammar. The veteran leadership group has been key in getting the newcomers acclimated and raising the level of play on the field. Having been through several seasons, the group leads by example on and off the field.
INSTANT IMPACT
Several newcomers have already made an impact on the River Hawks this season. Freshmen
Sophie St. George (Walpole, Mass.) and
Nadja Andersen (Nakskov, Denmark) have seen game action in every game this season, each registering one assist and driving the offense forward. Freshman goalkeeper Bára Beránková (Hradec Králove, Czech Republic) has made three appearances in goal, including three consecutive starts against #14 Auburn, Hartford and Dartmouth. The rookie has made 15 saves on the year.
