LOWELL, Mass. – The No. 20 UMass Lowell field hockey team (10-3, 3-1 AE) will wrap up a six-game homestand this Friday, October 13 when they host No. 19 UAlbany (9-3, 5-0 AE) in an America East showdown.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks split their games last week to move to 10-3 on the year. The team first defeated California, 2-1, on Oct. 6 to extend their win streak to seven games. In that contest, sophomore Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) tallied a goal to stretch her own scoring streak to five games. The team then faced a hard-fought, 1-0 setback against New Hampshire on Oct. 8 in a game that saw a season-high seven saves by freshman keeper Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands).
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 13 games, Madison Leeper leads the River Hawk offense with a personal-best nine goals and 21 points. Freshman Karli Penrod (Seaford, N.J.) follows with 13 points, including a team-high five assists. In the cage, Marie Oliemans has made 27 saves with a 0.62 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage, while senior Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) totals 26 saves with a 1.85 goals-against average.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday against the Great Danes would mark the River Hawks' second victory against a ranked opponent this year. It would also snap a seven-game win streak in the series for UAlbany, in addition to handing the Great Danes' their first conference loss of the season.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
The UMass Lowell field hockey team was nationally ranked for the third week in a row. The River Hawks received 92 votes in the NFHCA week six coaches' poll (Oct. 10), claiming the 20^th spot in the country.
 
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks continue to make a mark nationally. The team is currently fifth in scoring average and goals per game (3.23), and sixth in scoring margin (2.00). Individually, Marie Oliemans is ranked first in the nation in save percentage (.871) and third for goals-against average (0.62).
 
QUITE THE STRETCH
The River Hawks won seven games in a row from Sept. 15 through Oct. 6 to set a new Division I program record.
 
DEFENDING HOME TURF
The River Hawks put together an eight-game home win streak at Wicked Blue, the longest of the Division I era. The team has continued its stout defense, allowing just seven goals across its nine home games.
 
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
UMass Lowell defeated Maine for the first time in Division I program history on Sept. 22. With that 4-0 victory, the River Hawks became the first America East team to shut out the Black Bears since 2019.
 
STIFF COMPETITION
The River Hawks had a nationally-ranked opponent on their docket for the first three straight weeks of the season, including No. 18 Massachusetts on Sept. 17. UMass Lowell earned the 2-1 upset against the Minutewomen, marking the team's second ever win against a ranked team at the DI level. The team previously defeated then No. 18 UAlbany in 2017. Since 2021, the team has challenged nine nationally ranked opponents, with six of the seven setbacks being decided by two goals or less.
 
RINSE AND REPEAT
A nine-goal performance against Central Michigan on Sept. 9 was actually the team's second consecutive outing decided by that margin. The River Hawks also exploded for nine goals in the win against Merrimack on Sept. 1, tying the record for most goals in a single game for the team at the Division I level. UMass Lowell previously scored nine goals vs. Saint Louis (9.18.2016).
 
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks have already showed off their depth this year, as seven different players tallied a point in the home opener. The team followed that performance with a total of 11 different goal scorers across back-to-back 9-0 wins vs. Merrimack and Central Michigan. In total, 15 different River Hawks have already tallied a point in 2023.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Madison Leeper was named America East Offensive Player and Alissia de Vries was named America East Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 … Marie Oliemans was named America East Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19.
 
OF NOTE
Madison Leeper put together a five-game scoring streak from 9.22 to 10.6 … Leeper set a new career high with two goals vs. Brown (9.24) … Marie Oliemans earned her first start and complete-game shutout against Northeastern (9.15) … Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) notched the first two goals of her River Hawk career vs. Central Michigan (9.9) … senior Sage Valente (Watertown, Conn.) registered her first career goal vs. Central Michigan (9.9) … freshman Christina Wagner (Cicero, N.Y.) tallied her first career goal and assist against Merrimack (9.1) … Karli Penrod and Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands) both registered the first goals of their careers vs. Merrimack (9.1) … junior Sydney Grim (Reading, Pa.) logged her first career goal against LIU (8.25).