LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell field hockey team (3-2) will look to capitalize on their home turf advantage this weekend, as the squad is set to welcome a pair of tough, in-state opponents to Wicked Blue Field. The River Hawks will first square off against Northeastern on Friday, September 15 at 3 p.m. before hosting No. 18 Massachusetts on Sunday, September 17 at 2 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks split two decisions during their trip to Iowa City, first earning a 9-0 win against Central Michigan before clashing with No. 1 Iowa and facing a 5-1 setback. Both games featured a total team effort, including a strong performance from graduate student Berbel Rozema (Rotterdam, Netherlands), who scored three goals for six points across both games. Junior Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) recorded four points in the win against Central Michigan, while senior Sage Valente (Watertown, Conn.) and freshman Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) also helped contribute with three points each in that outing.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through five games, sophomore Isabelle Halters (Noordwijk, Netherlands) and sophomore Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) lead the River Hawk offense with eight points each. Halters has scored a team-high four goals, while junior Cate Kleeman (Gibbsboro, N.J.) is first on the team with three assists. In the cage, senior keeper Christiana Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) has recorded 14 saves for a .609 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday against the Huskies would keep the River Hawks undefeated at home in 2023. UMass Lowell currently owns a 2-0 edge in the series against Northeastern after picking up a 4-2 win on the road last season. A win against the Minutewomen would mark the first for the River Hawks at the Division I level. UMass Amherst leads the series, 9-0, including a 3-2 shootout win in 2022.
 
STIFF COMPETITION
For the third straight week, the River Hawks have a nationally-ranked opponent on the docket in #18 Massachusetts. Since 2021, the team has challenged eight nationally ranked opponents, with six of those contests being decided by two goals or less.
 
LEAVING A MARK
The team's trip to Iowa last week marked the first time the River Hawks have squared off against the No. 1 team in the nation at the Division I level. Despite setback at Iowa, the River Hawks put themselves on the map after the hard-fought performance. As of now, UMass Lowell is one of just two teams that have scored a goal against the Hawkeyes this season, sharing that distinction with North Carolina.
 
RINSE AND REPEAT
The 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).
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
This has already been a record-setting offensive season, with UMass Lowell scoring its most goals in the first five games of a season (24) since elevating to Division I.
 
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.
 
STARTING STRONG
The decision against LIU on Aug. 25 marked the River Hawks' seventh consecutive win in a home opener at Wicked Blue.
 
OF NOTE
Clarke 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) … freshmen Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) 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).