LOWELL, Mass.-- Junior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) netted a pair of goals to push the UMass Lowell field hockey team (6-5) to a 3-1 win against LIU (3-6) on Sunday afternoon at Wicked Blue Field.
 
The River Hawks remain perfect on home turf with the win through their first five home contests. The victory also marks the first time this season UMass Lowell has won consecutive games.

"We obviously wanted to take what we did on Friday and really try and mimic it today, and I thought we did a really good job," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "LIU defended really well and made us have to think and find solutions to a tightly-packed defensive team, so for us to put in three goals, I thought that was really solid. I'm happy overall with the performance today."
 
UMass Lowell outshot LIU, 19-11, while holding a 7-5 advantage on corners. Freshman Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) added a goal of her own in the contest, while Graduate student Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) chipped in with an assist.
 
Graduate student Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) earned her fourth win of the season in the cage, while sophomore Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) notched three saves in the second half.
 
The River Hawks pushed the pace of play in the opening minutes of action, resulting in a trio of corner opportunities in the first minute. Kerkhof sent the first try wide, followed by a pair of attempts from graduate student Alissia de Vries (The Hague, Netherlands).
 
After the play transitioned to the midfield following the early UMass Lowell pressure, the hosts received their fourth and final corner opportunity of the quarter. The try produced a high-quality opportunity from freshman Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium), but her shot was saved.
 
LIU received their first corner in the 14th minute, but a strong block by senior Cate Kleeman (Gibbsboro, N.J.) erased the scoring threat. The River Hawks outshot LIU, 6-1, in the first.
 
UMass Lowell opened the second quarter in a similar fashion, applying pressure in the LIU defensive end until Gans escaped multiple defenders and unleashed a rocket towards the cage that was finished by Leeper to put the River Hawks ahead, 1-0, in the 19th minute.
 
Senior Maxine Van Havere (Wilrijk, Belgium) opened the second half with a scoring chance for the River Hawks, but her shot sailed left of the cage in the 36th minute.
 
The visitors were granted their second corner opportunity of the game in the 40th minute, but another timely block from Kleeman kept LIU off the board.
 
Just over a minute later, the River Hawks turned defense to offense on a goal from Leeper in the 41st minute. Freshman Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) ignited the sequence with a shot on goal, leaving an uncovered Leeper to bury the rebound out front. 
 
In the 44th minute, LIU cut into the River Hawk lead in the final seconds of the third quarter to dwindle the deficit to 2-1.
 
In the 48th minute, LIU had a prime scoring chance in front of Oliemans, but the keeper made a spectacular desperation denial to protect the UMass Lowell lead. 
 
After a flurry of UMass Lowell offensive chances, the River Hawks were awarded a penalty stroke in the 50th minute. Kerkhof buried the shot, increasing the advantage to 3-1. The River Hawks totaled five shots on goal in the final quarter.
 
The River Hawks are back in action on Friday, October 11 when they host America East foe Maine at 3 p.m.