LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) and junior Hope Santaniello (Agawam, Mass.) found the back of the net as the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (3-5-6, 3-2-2 AE) defeated the UAlbany Great Danes (4-9-2, 1-4-2 AE) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Cushing Field.
 
Brookshire scored the opening goal for the River Hawks and Santaniello scored the game-winning-goal in the second half in the victory. Santaniello also tallied an assist on the Brookshire goal for three-point game. Senior Chloe Layne (Wrentham, Mass.) registered an assist on Santaniello's goal while redshirt-senior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made three saves.
 
The River Hawks were put under pressure early in the game as the Great Danes put on a high press in the opening 20 minutes. Despite the lack of possession, UMass Lowell stayed compact defensively and eased into the game. The first chance came in the 27^th minute after freshman Franzisca Sinclair's (Frankfurt, Germany) header was pushed just wide for a corner.
 
UMass Lowell began to turn the tide as the second half approached the final 15 minutes and the hosts had a great chance through Hope Santaniello in the 35^th minute. Fifth year Julia Edholm (Stockholm, Sweden) played a brilliant ball in behind the defense to find Santaniello in stride. The junior's shot narrowly missed the far post, but the River Hawks were building momentum.
 
In the 38^th minute, sophomore Megan Banzi (Plymouth, Mass.) and Layne combined for a quick one-two that led to Layne's twisting shot forcing another diving save. Just a minute later, Calliste Brookshire found the breakthrough after calmly finishing a cross from Hope Santaniello to give the River Hawks a 1-0 lead. UMass Lowell took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
 
The intensity picked up in the second half with both teams stepping up physically and six players were booked over the next 45 minutes. UAlbany had a chance early in the half, but Edholm was in the right spot to clear the ball off the line and away from danger. The Great Danes found an equalizer in the 54^th minute off a scrappy set piece goal.
 
The response from the River Hawks was immediate and the pressure again turned to the UAlbany goal. Layne and Santaniello combined several times to cut through the defense but could not find the go-ahead goal.
 
In the 62^nd minute, a UMass Lowell corner led to a scramble in the UAlbany box. After the ball was half-cleared, Layne sent a cross back into the box that found Santaniello at the back post who slotted the ball into the net for a 2-1 lead.
 
UAlbany pushed hard for another equalizer in the final 20 minutes, looking to stay in the playoff picture. The back line in front of Burgess held strong and limited any real threat on the UMass Lowell goal. Junior Laura Cetina (Galicia, Spain) had three chances in a five-minute span, with one attempt rattling off the crossbar. The River Hawks held off the UAlbany attack to win 2-1 on senior day and clinch a sixth consecutive playoff berth.
 
The regular season concludes on Thursday, October 26 as the River Hawks travel to Smithfield, Rhode Island to take on the Bryant Bulldogs.