DURHAM, N.H. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (1-3-5, 1-0-1 AE) and New Hampshire Wildcats (4-4-2, 1-1-1 AE) played to a scoreless draw at Wildcat Stadium on Thursday night.
 
Juniors Laura Cetina (Galicia, Spain) and Hope Santaniello (Agawam, Mass.) each tallied two shots on the evening. Redshirt senior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made two saves and earned her second consecutive clean sheet. Senior Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) added two shots and the River Hawks had a 7-3 edge in shots on goal.
 
"I think our first half was good, we played how we wanted to play and moved the ball well. We're a bit unfortunate to not capitalize on one of the opportunities we had," said head coach Mira Novak. "Second half, I think we were a bit flat, and we were afraid to make a mistake. But I do give our team a lot of credit for being resilient and committing to tackles and keeping a clean sheet."
 
The River Hawks pinned the Wildcats in their own end in the opening five minutes of the match, looking to play the wide players in behind the defense. Off the ball, UMass Lowell's press forced New Hampshire into difficult passes and giveaways as the visitors regained possession.
 
 A UMass Lowell free kick near the corner in the 11^th whipped into the New Hampshire box caused problems for the hosts, but the defense cleared the ball from danger. Both sides had spells of possession in the first 20 minutes but could not generate big chances in the final third. It was a physical battle in the midfield with the teams fighting for control of the game.
 
New Hampshire hit the frame of the goal in the 25^th minute on a long-range effort before the River Hawks transitioned quickly and had a chance at the other end of the field. The River Hawks worked the ball well through the midfield and down the right side but still lacked that finishing touch in the final third. At the halftime break, the teams went into the locker room tied at 0-0. Shots were 5-3 in favor of UMass Lowell.
 
The Wildcats had a chance in the opening five minutes as a low, driven cross went right through the River Hawks' six-yard box untouched before being cleared away. UMass Lowell had a chance in the 54^th minute after Marissa Sage won the ball in the Wildcats' half. The freshman drove forward and found Laura Cetina at the top of the box, whose shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
 
UMass Lowell struggled to get out of their own end as the clock approached the final 20 minutes of the game. New Hampshire's press was difficult to play through and unforced giveaways gave the hosts most of the possession. The River Hawks were able to break out and get a shot on target from Hope Santaniello in the 72^nd minute to relieve some of the pressure.
 
Neither side could find the back of the net and the game ended in a 0-0 draw. UMass Lowell continues to road trip with a Sunday afternoon matchup with Vermont on October 1. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Virtue Field.