LOWELL, Mass. – The No. 18 UMass Lowell field hockey team (7-2) is looking to continue its winning ways at Wicked Blue Field this weekend, as the River Hawks host two more games as part of a six-game homestand. The squad will first square off against America East foe Vermont (4-5) on Friday, September 29 at 3 p.m., before facing off against Bucknell (5-5) for Senior Day on Sunday, October 1 at 12 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks won both games last week to improve to 7-2 on the year. The team did not allow a goal in either win, making it five shutouts in 2023 thus far. The River Hawks started with a 4-0, conference-opening victory at Maine on Sept. 22. Freshman Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) and sophomore Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) led the offense in the outing, each recording one goal and one assist for three points. The team then earned a 2-0 decision against Brown on Sept. 24 to extend the current win streak to four games. Leeper followed up her strong performance earlier in the week by scoring both goals in that contest. Freshman goalkeeper Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) and senior goalkeeper Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) split time in the cage for both games, contributing 11 total saves.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through nine games, Madison Leeper leads the River Hawk offense with 15 points. Leeper has scored a team-high six goals, while senior Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) is first on the team with four assists. In the cage, Christiana Calandra has recorded 17 saves, while Marie Oliemans owns a 0.44 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday against the Catamounts would mark the River Hawks' fourth consecutive victory in the series. UMass Lowell currently leads Vermont in the DI series, 8-6. It would also keep the team undefeated at home this year, marking its longest home win streak (6) and its second longest overall win streak (5) of the Division I era, since winning six in a row last year. It would also mark the second straight year the River Hawks have started conference play 2-0. A win on Sunday against Bucknell would mark the team's first, as the Bison own a 2-0 lead in that series.
 
CRACKING THE RANKINGS
The UMass Lowell field hockey team is nationally ranked for the first time in Division I program history. The River Hawks received 83 votes in the NFHCA week four coaches' poll (Sept. 26), ranking 18th in the country. The team also cracked the top 20 in NCAA RPI rankings for the second year in a row, placing 19th.
 
NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are continuing to make a mark nationally. The team is currently second in the nation for scoring average (3.89) and scoring margin (2.67), third in goals per game (3.89), and tenth in winning percentage (.778). Individually, Oliemans remains tied for first in the nation with a 4-0 record. She ranks third for goals-against average (0.444) and second for save percentage (.882).
 
DEFENDING HOME TURF
The River Hawks are riding a five-game win streak at Wicked Blue and will look to continue the home field advantage this Friday. The team's stout defense has allowed just two goals across its five home games, the least allowed in the first five home games in program history since turning Division I.
 
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. 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 nine games that have scored a goal against undefeated Iowa this season, sharing that distinction with North Carolina.
 
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).
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
This has already been a record-setting offensive season, with UMass Lowell scoring its most goals in the first nine games of a season (35) 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.
 
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 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).