LOWELL, Mass. ­­– The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (0-3-3) fell to the Drexel Dragons (4-2-0) by a score of 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Cushing Field.
 
Redshirt senior Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) made seven saves in Sunday's contest. Senior Chloe Layne (Wrentham, Mass.) and graduate student Julia Edholm (Stockholm, Sweden) each registered two shots on goal. Senior Calliste Brookshire (Kingston, Mass.) and freshman Diana Jedrychowski (Farmington, Mass.) combined for three shots.
 
"[Drexel] are a quality team so we knew it would be tough. I thought we were the better team in the first half, how proactive we were, and we had some chances," said head coach Mira Novak. "Second, I thought we were second best. We didn't take care of the ball and the goal we conceded was a little awkward. But overall, our second half performance was not good enough."
 
The first half was a good battle between the two sides on a sunny day at Cushing Field. Taylor Burgess was called to action in the 11^th minute, making her first save of the afternoon with a diving stop from a long-range effort. The Dragons and River Hawks both stepped up the physicality, specifically in the midfield, totaling 22 fouls in the game.
 
UMass Lowell had its best chance of the afternoon in the 24^th minute just after the drink breaks midway through the half. The senior received the ball in the box and was one on one with the goalkeeper. Her left-footed strike was poked wide by a brilliant save from Chase in goal. Layne had another opportunity on goal in the 29^th minute but saw her shot from outside the box saved once again.
 
The first 45 minutes was a strong showing for the River Hawks, but the hosts could not capitalize on their chances. The teams went into the halftime break tied at 0-0.
 
As the second half began, Drexel started to shift the momentum in their favor. Diana Jedrychowski found space at the top of the box in the 59^th minute, but saw her effort go over the crossbar. Much like the opening 45 minutes, the second half was physical with players on both sides not shying away from challenges.
 
Drexel earned a corner kick in the 72^nd minute, looking to break the deadlock. The in-swinging cross bounced around the box before Gabrielle Perrotto's touch found its way into the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Burgess made another important save on a good effort from Drexel to keep the deificit to one.
 
The River Hawks struggled to create chances in the second half and ultimately fell to the Dragons 1-0. UMass Lowell will have a week to regroup before hosting Holy Cross on Sunday, September 10 at Cushing Field.
 
"I'm looking forward to seeing how the team responds this week at training and next weekend against Holy Cross," added Novak. "We've had a lot of one-goal games and I think we need to take our chances when they come to us. We'll get back to work this week and get ready for the weekend."