Saturday, April 29, vs. Vermont: Live Stats | Watch

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (6-9, 0-5 AE) close out the regular season as they head north to take on the Vermont Catamounts (7-7, 3-2 AE) on Saturday, April 29, at noon.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UMass Lowell enters the week with a 6-9 record following a 16-8 loss to Binghamton. Leading the way in scoring were seniors Molly Shaw (Marshfield, Mass.) and Grace Hansen (Stamford, Conn.) who tallied two goals each. Also finding the back of the net were seniors Izzy Liquori (Agawam, Mass.), Anna Bauter (Dexter, N.Y.), sophomore Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.), and freshman Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.), who each chipped in with a goal. Frshman Audra Hansen (Stamford, Conn.) paced the squad with two caused turnovers. Freshman Hannah Shaddock (Corning, N.Y.) and junior Jillian Schumacher (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) each saw time in net, making 10 saves and one save, respectively.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Catlin leads the River Hawks through 15 games with 47 points off 28 goals and 19 assists. Behind her, Megan Brockbank totals 23 goals and nine assists for 32 points, while Molly Shaw is tied with Catlin with a team-high 28 goals. Napolitano leads the defense with a team-high 24 caused turnovers while also pacing the squad with 49 draw control victories. Junior Emerson Laundry (Swampscott, Mass.) totals 23 caused turnovers and 48 draw controls, both ranking second on the team. One of the top teams in the nation in ground balls, Napolitano leads the River Hawks with 42 ground balls, while senior Caroline Klim (Wrentham, Mass.) totals 31 on the year.

SCOUTING VERMONT
The Catamounts welcome the River Hawks to Virtue Field following a 12-10 victory over UMBC. Vermont's offense is led by midfielder Ava Vasile who has totaled a team-high 39 goals and seven assists on the season, while attack Claire Adelhelm paces her squad with 21 assists. On defense, Carolyn Carrera sits first in America East with 50 caused turnovers, while Vasile's 24 caused turnovers rank fourth in the conference. In net, graduate student Sophie McLaughlin has started all 14 games, making 104 saves for a .426 save percentage in just over 770 minutes of action.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Catamounts would give the River Hawks a 7-9 record to finish the season and would mark the third win against Vermont in program history.
 
VERMONT MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks and Catamounts have met eight times, with Vermont claiming victory in six of the eight matches. When they met last season, Liquori tallied a team-best three goal and seven draw controls, but the River Hawks fell, 18-8.
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The River Hawks' defense has proven to be the key to success, as they currently rank 25th in the country in caused turnovers per game (9.33). Even more impressive, the team sits 14th in ground balls per game (18.33).
 
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
After scoring her 83^rd career goal earlier in the season against Stonehill, senior Izzy Liquori (Agawam, Mass.) surpassed Taylor Sokol to become the UMass Lowell all-time goal scorer.
 
CONFERENCE HONORS
The rookies played a huge role in the River Hawks' hot start, as they have garnered five America East Rookie of the Week awards given out by the conference. Most recently, freshman Audra Hansen (Stamford, Ct.) tallied three goals and caused two turnovers against UAlbany to earn her third Rookie of the Week of the season (2/27, 3/6, 4/3). Before her, Shaddock opened the season with a 2-1 record while making 31 saves in net to earn the first two Rookie of the Week awards of the season (2/13, 2/20).
 
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Not only are the River Hawks succeeding on the field, but they also continue to help within the community. Senior captain Grace Hansen (Stamford, Conn.) currently serves as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee while also volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell. Meanwhile, senior Caroline Klim (Wrentham, Mass.) continues her role as an ambassador of Morgan's Message, an organization with a goal to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community.