SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Just 43 seconds into overtime, sophomore Madison Leeper (East, Amherst, N.Y.) put one last touch on a ball from classmate Meike Vischer (The Hague, Netherlands) to lift the No. 18 UMass Lowell field hockey team (12-3, 5-1 AE) to a 2-1, come-from-behind victory at Bryant (5-9, 0-6 AE) on Friday.
 
After knotting the score late in the third quarter, the River Hawks pressured throughout the remainder of regulation, but the contest would need a few extra seconds to decide. Less than a minute into overtime, the visitors marched the ball up the sideline, eventually getting it on the stick of Vischer, who dribbled it into the circle and pushed it past the Bulldogs' sliding keeper where Leeper was waiting to give it one final tip in for the golden goal that ended the game.
 
"We are happy with the result and our ball possession," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We wish the scoreboard was more closely aligned with the stat sheet, but that is why the game is played. We loved how we came out in the second half with great energy and high tempo. Playing overtime and taking care of business in 43 seconds truly showed our preparedness for this situation, which we are also happy with. Each game we are learning something new and being challenged, all of which is preparing us well for our final weekend of conference play and becoming tournament ready."
 
With the decision, the River Hawks match a Division I program record for wins in a season (12) previously set in 2022. The team has also positioned itself for its second, top-three finish in the America East standings for the second consecutive year with the ability to clinch a share of the league's regular-season title heading into its final two games.
 
As a team, the River Hawks outshot the Buldogs, 25-6, with a 14-1 advantage on penalty corners. In addition to Leeper, junior Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) also tallied a goal in the outing, while senior Sage Valente (Watertown, Conn.) joined Vischer with one assist. Senior Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) recorded a pair of first-half saves, while freshman Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) closed out the win to improve to 7-1 on the season.
 
The River Hawks opened the contest by registering the first three shots, including one on target from Leeper that was stopped by the Bulldogs' Dieneke Hes. The visitors also pressured with three corners in the first quarter, but the scoreboard remained blank.
 
UMass Lowell kept the pressure on, as freshman Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) fired the first shot of the second into Hes' pads. However, Bryant was able to take the lead when Ashley Barron pulled up on a breakaway for a turnaround pass by Calandra to Natalie Brown, who was breaking towards the goal line for the finish.
 
The River Hawks followed with three more corners and shot attempts, but were unable to convert, as Bryant held onto the slim, 1-0 margin at the break.
 
UMass Lowell came out of halftime on the attack, outshooting their hosts, 4-1, before breaking through to erase the difference in the 41^st minute. On that play, Valente would beat the defense with a pass over to Clarke for a blazing slapshot that knotted the game at 1-1.
 
The fourth quarter was all about the River Hawks, but early shots from junior Maxine van Havere (Wilrijk, Belgium) and Penrod were stopped by Hes, as Bryant withstood the attack to send the game into overtime.