IOWA CITY, Iowa - The UMass Lowell field hockey team (2-1) has set off on its only two-game road swing of the season. This weekend, the River Hawks will play a pair of games hosted by the newly crowned No. 1 team in the nation, Iowa. The squad will first square off against Central Michigan in a neutral-site matchup on Saturday, September 9 at 3 p.m. before taking on the NCAA's top team and host Iowa on Sunday, September 10 at 12:30 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks earned a decisive, 9-0 victory in their only game last week to improve to 2-1 so far in 2023. The win was a total team effort, as nine different River Hawks tallied points and the defense combined for a shutout. Freshman Christina Wagner (Cicero, N.Y.), sophomore Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.), junior Maxine van Havere (Wilrijk, Belgium) and senior Alissia de Vries (The Hague, Netherlands) each helped lead the way with three points.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through three games, sophomores Isabelle Halters (Noordwijk, Netherlands) and Leeper pace the offense with six points apiece. Halters has notched a team-best three goals so far, while Leeper is first on the squad with two assists. In the cage, senior keeper Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) has made six stops for a .600 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD
The River Hawks have never faced either Central Michigan or Iowa, so a win in either contest would be a first in the series. A win against Central Michigan would give the team a 3-1 start for the first time since 2021. A win against Iowa would mark the River Hawks' second win against a ranked opponent at the Division I level, after defeating No. 18 UAlbany, 2-1, in double overtime in 2017.
 
CLASH WITH A TITAN
Sunday's contest will mark the first time the River Hawks have squared off against the No. 1 team in the nation at the Division I level. Since 2021, the team has challenged seven nationally ranked opponents, with six of those seven contests being decided by two goals or less.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
The River Hawks 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).
 
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 nine different goal scorers in the win against Merrimack on Sept. 1. In total, 13 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
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).