SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (3-5-7, 3-2-3 AE) and Bryant Bulldogs (7-5-4, 2-3-3 AE) played to a scoreless draw in the regular season finale at Beirne Stadium on Thursday night.
 
Fifth year Julia Edholm (Stockholm, Sweden) had a team-high four shots while senior Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) added three. Freshman Luka Marceau (Newton, Mass.) and junior Laura Cetina (Galicia, Spain) combined for three shots. Redshirt senior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made five saves for her fourth clean sheet of the season.
 
UMass Lowell outshot Bryant 11-10, but the Bulldogs had an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. It was a physical game, with 24 total fouls between the sides.

"We knew it would be an emotional game and that they [Bryant] would throw the kitchen sink at us, and they did," said head coach Mira Novak. "We came here to get a home game and a tie secures that for us. We had three or four good chances that we didn't finish, so there is a bit of a sour taste tonight. As for the postseason, we all know each other now and it's about showing up on the day, ready to play. Playing at home is big for us and I think we have a chip on our shoulder going into the tournament." 
 
There was plenty to for Thursday night for both teams with the River Hawks looking to secure a top four seed and the Bulldogs fighting to get into the postseason. It was a good battle in the opening half as both sides started the game with great intensity.
 
The first real chance came in the 18^th minute when Bryant had back-to-back shots on goal, both saved by Burgess. The Bulldogs, desperate for three points, pressed UMass Lowell off the ball and looked to attack down the wings. The River Hawks defensive line stayed organized and prevented open looks on goal.
 
In the 30^th minute, Chloe Layne played a lovely ball over the top into the path of Calliste Brookshire. The senior's shot went a yard high, but the threat on the Bryant was present. A few minutes later, a lost ball in the midfield led to another Bryant chance. Emma Mitchell's defensive work blocked the ball out for a corner, keeping the game level.
 
Neither side broke the deadlock after 45 minutes as the teams went into the half scoreless. Bryant had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks and a 5-3 shot advantage.
 
Brookshire had the first chance of the second half after Hope Santaniello muscled off a defender to find the senior running in behind. Brookshire was closed down by two defenders but managed to force a save from McNeil in the 55^th minute.
 
Julia Edholm danced through the defense and had a one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 63^rd minute, but McNeil came up with the stop to keep the game tied. Bryant began to pressure the River Hawks' defense again as the game approached the final 20 minutes.
 
After weaving through the defense, Laura Cetina won a penalty kick in the 79^th minute. The shot went wide, keeping the game scoreless heading into the final 10 minutes. Luka Marceau had another great chance in the 82^nd minute after getting in behind the defense, but once again McNeil came up with the save.
 
UMass Lowell held off a late Bryant surge to earn a point on the road. The River Hawks return to action for the America East Championship. The first round matchup will be determined in the coming days.