LOWELL, Mass. – The No. 18 UMass Lowell field hockey team (12-3, 5-1 AE) will close out the 2023 regular season with a pair of America East Conference games at home this weekend. The River Hawks first host UC Davis (2-12, 1-5 AE) on Friday, October 27 at 3 p.m. before squaring off against Stanford (4-9, 1-5 AE) on Sunday, October 29 at 1 p.m. in the America East finale.

RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks earned an exciting, 2-1 overtime victory against Bryant in their lone game last week to improve to 12-3 on the season. Sophomore Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) tipped in the game-winner just seconds into the overtime period, while junior Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) has netted the equalizer earlier in the game. Senior Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) and Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) split time in net, combining for two saves in the win.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 15 games, Madison Leeper continues to lead the River Hawk offense with 25 points. Leeper has scored a team- and career-high 11 goals, while senior Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) and freshman Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) lead the team with six assists each. In the cage, senior Christina Calandra has recorded 30 saves for a goals-against average of 2.00, while freshman Marie Oliemans owns a 0.53 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday would mark the fourth in a row in the series against the Aggies. It would also set a UMass Lowell Division I program record for most wins in a season, surpassing the current record (12) set in 2022. A win on Sunday would give the River Hawks a 3-1 edge against the Cardinal since 2021.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
The UMass Lowell field hockey team was nationally ranked for the fifth week in a row. The River Hawks received 101 votes in the NFHCA week eight coaches' poll (Oct. 24), remaining 18th in the country. The team also remained in the top 20 in NCAA RPI, placing 17th.

NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks continue to make a mark nationally. The team is currently fourth in the nation for penalty corners per game (8.53), sixth in winning percentage (.800), seventh in scoring average (3.13) and eight in goals per game (3.13). Individually, Oliemans remains ranks second in the nation for goals-against average (0.533) and save percentage (.879).

GOALS, GOALS, GOALS
The River Hawks have been on fire with their scoring opportunities. The squad has already scored 47 goals this season, which ranks second for total goals during the Division I era after a 56-goal finish in 2016. The team's 3.13 goals per game does in fact rank first in program history during the Division I era, though.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The River Hawks have secured a spot in the America East Championship for the second consecutive season. The team can finish anywhere from the top seed all the way to the third seed, depending on the results of its final two regular-season contests. The 2023 America East Championship will be played at the No. 1 seed from November 2-5.

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 nine goals across its 10 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. Their most recent victory against a nationally-ranked opponent came on Oct. 13, where the River Hawks defeated No. 19 UAlbany 3-2. 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).