LOWELL, Mass. – After more than 58 scoreless minutes, the game's lone goal came on a corner, as the UMass Lowell field hockey team (7-3, 3-1 AE) succumbed to America East opponent Maine (7-3, 3-0 AE) in a Friday afternoon battle.
 
Neither side was able to break through the stalwart defense for most of the contest, although the River Hawks took a 13-5 shot advantage. Corners were evenly split at 3-3, but it was the Black Bears' final set piece that would prove to be the difference in the 59^th minute when Chloe Walton dished a short pass to Poppy Lambert for the finish.
 
"This was exactly the game we anticipated it would be," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "It was a great defensive battle with limited opportunities for both sides, and the one team that took care of their final opportunity was going to be the difference maker and that's what Maine did. I think overall we possessed the ball the best that we've possessed it all season. We had the majority of the possession, and just that productivity in the attacking 25 is the final piece that we need to put together."
 
The decision closes the River Hawks' win streak at six games, good for the program's longest streak since 2012.
 
Graduate student Jenna Berger (Waterloo, Ontario) paced the home team with five shots in the outing, while junior goalkeeper Eleonore Boekhorst (Bilthoven, Netherlands) registered two saves.
 
The River Hawks notched their first chance on target in just the fourth minute, as graduate student Caitlin Little (Acton, Mass.) sent a pass ahead to freshman Madison Leeper (East Amherst, NY.), but she was stopped by Maine's Mia Borley, who came out of the cage to trap the ball on the rookie's stick. The Black Bears then garnered the first corner of the day late in the first, but the River Hawk defense blocked the attempt.
 
In the second quarter, Berger dribbled in along the end line before sending a shot into the pads of Borley.
 
After the break, Boekhorst laid out to kick away a strong chance by Maine's Sydney Meader in the 35^th minute.
 
The River Hawks would earn their first corner in the 40^th minute, but back-to-back attempts were stopped on that play.
 
As the minutes ticked away, Mallory Mackesy secured a breakaway in the 51^st when Boekhorst charged to meet her and thwart the chance, keeping the scoreless stalemate intact until the very end.
 
The River Hawks now open a five-game road swing at Northeastern on Sunday, October 2 at 12 p.m.