ORONO, Maine - The UMass Lowell field hockey team (5-2) is set to carry its early momentum into the beginning of conference play this week. The River Hawks visit Maine (4-4) for their 2023 America East opener on Friday, September 22 at 3 p.m. before kicking off a six-game homestand against Brown (4-1) on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks went 2-0 last week to improve to 5-2 on the year. The squad first picked up its third shutout in 2023 with a 3-0 victory against Northeastern on Sept. 15. Freshman Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) led the offense in that outing with one goal and one assist for three points. The team followed that performance with a thrilling, 2-1 victory against No. 18 Massachusetts on Sept. 17 to defeat the Minutewomen and earn the Kennedy Cup Field Hockey trophy for the first time. Sophomore Meike Vischer (The Hague, Netherlands) tallied both goals in that contest. Freshman goalkeeper Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) totaled six saves to earn both wins in the cage for the River Hawks.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through seven games, sophomore Isabelle Halters (Noordwijk, Netherlands) leads the River Hawk offense with four goals and 10 points. Senior Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) and junior Cate Kleeman (Gibbsboro, N.J.) are tied for first on the team with three assists apiece. In the cage, Oliemans is 4-0 with a .778 save percentage and a 0.57 goals-against average.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday against the Black Bears would mark the first ever for the River Hawks since becoming conference opponents in 2013. It would also mark the River Hawks' third consecutive win in a conference opener. A win on Sunday against Brown would give the River Hawks the upper hand in the series, as it is currently tied, 1-1, after UMass Lowell earned a 2-1 road win in the most recent meeting in 2015. With a win on Sunday, the River Hawks would improve to 5-0 at home in 2023.
 
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are currently third in the nation for scoring average (4.14) and goals per game (4.14), fourth for scoring margin (2.57), and sixth for corners per game (9.0). Individually, Oliemans is tied for first in the nation with a 4-0 record. She sits fifth for goals-against average (0.57) and 16^th for save percentage (.778).
 
STIFF COMPETITION
For the third straight week, the River Hawks had a nationally-ranked opponent on the docket in #18 Massachusetts on Sept. 17. UMass Lowell earned the 2-1 upset, marking the team's second ever win against a ranked team at the DI level. The team previously defeated then No. 18 UAlbany in 2017. Since 2021, the team has challenged nine nationally ranked opponents, with six of the seven setbacks being decided by two goals or less.
 
LEAVING A MARK
The team's trip to Iowa early in the year marked the first time the River Hawks have squared off against the No. 1 team in the nation at the Division I level. Despite the loss against the Hawkeyes, the River Hawks put themselves on the map after the hard-fought performance. As of now, UMass Lowell is one of just two teams through eight games that have scored a goal against undefeated Iowa 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 seven games of a season (29) 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
Oliemans earned her first start and complete-game shutout against Northeastern (9.15) … 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).