LOWELL, Mass. – A two-goal performance from junior Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) led the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (4-5-2, 1-1-0 AE) to a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Vermont Catamounts (3-5-2, 0-1-2 AE) on Thursday night at Cushing Field.
 
Brookshire scored twice on two shots to lead the way for the River Hawks. Sophomore Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) converted from the penalty spot while senior Anna Edson (Beverly, Mass.) and graduate student Lily Fabian (Monson, Mass.) each tallied an assist. Redshirt junior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made four saves to earn the win.
 
"It feels good. I think both teams didn't want to concede first and unfortunately, we did," said head coach Mira Novak. "Credit to our team, we pulled a goal back after conceding and got out on the front foot in the second half. We put ourselves in good position to win tonight."
 
The game opened with both teams pressuring in their respective attacking third, but only one shot registered by the visitors. UMass Lowell utilized the wide players and the space available, switching the field of play with players driving down the sideline looking for a cross. Anna Edson had the first good opportunity for the River Hawks in the 19^th minute off a corner. The senior collected a loose ball inside the box, but the shot went high.
 
Lily Fabian was a force all night, stepping into the play to break up Vermont's attack to create counterattacking chances. In the 29^th minute, Fabian intercepted a pass and drove at the Catamounts' back line. Good build up play from the River Hawks allowed Fabian to play Papatheodorou through on goal, but the shot was saved and cleared away.
 
Vermont broke the deadlock in the 35^th minute as Kate Bossert's left footed strike found the back of the net. The hosts responded with an equalizing goal just four minutes later. A free kick in the attacking third bounced out to Fabian who played the ball back into the box. As the ball bounced over the defense, Brookshire snuck in behind and tucked away a left-footed finish. The teams would go into the break tied at 1-1.
 
Three minutes out of the break, the River Hawks took their first lead of the game. Anna Edson intercepted a ball in the midfield and drove forward. Edson found Brookshire on the left side of the field and the junior charged at the back line. Brookshire rifled a long-range shot into the top of the goal to score her fifth of the season and give the hosts a 2-1 edge.
 
Moments later in the 53^rd minute, Edson was fouled in the box and UMass Lowell was awarded a penalty kick. Papatheodorou stepped up to take the kick and scored her sixth goal of the season to put the River Hawks ahead 3-1. The goal sparked life as UMass Lowell had two great opportunities on goal in the few minutes following the penalty kick but could not extend the lead.
 
The Catamounts scored from a free kick in the 63^rd minute to cut the lead to 3-2, just a minute after having a goal taken away for offside. Just 20 seconds after the Vermont goal, a cross attempt from sophomore Lærke Niklasson (Roskilde, Denmark) was deflected in by the defense, giving UMass Lowell a 4-2 lead. In the 67^th, another set piece goal for the Catamounts made it a 4-3 game, setting up an exciting finish.
 
Both teams had chances in the final 15 minutes, but the River Hawk back line continued to impress. Seniors Allison LeBlanc (Saugus, Mass.) and Julia Edholm (Stockholm, Sweden), sophomore Emma Mitchell (West Orange, N.J.) and Lily Fabian read the Vermont attack and intercepted passes to limit Vermont's chances from open play.
 
"I think our back line was really good again," added Novak. "We're not happy with how we defended set pieces tonight, but that is something we will work on. Overall, I thought the back line was great for us again tonight."
 
The River Hawks held on late to earn their first conference win of the season and improved to 4-1 at home. Next up is a meeting the NJIT Highlanders on Sunday, October 2. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. at Mal Simon Stadium.