LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) netted the game-winning goal in the 62^nd minute to complete a come-from-behind thriller in overtime, as the UMass Lowell field hockey team (9-7) knocked off No. 20 Rutgers (7-8) on Friday afternoon at Wicked Blue Field.
 
The decision improves the River Hawks' unbeaten home season to 8-0 and marks the second victory against a Power Four opponent this year, as well as the program's first ever win against a Big Ten foe.
 
"After the loss we took at UNH, we really had to do some work on ourselves this week on the practice field with our mindset about what we were looking to achieve for the rest of the season," explained Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We talked to them about being in that champion mindset starting today and they certainly brought that. It was just exceptional to watch us build from quarter one to taking the game in overtime."
 
After playing through 25 minutes of deadlocked action, graduate student Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) dribbled into the left side of the circle before firing a reverse-stick hit through traffic towards the far post where a charging Leeper would dive to apply the final redirect and end the game.
 
"We talked about how when you play Big Ten hockey they are going to score goals, play hard and play fast, but we can match that," LeBlanc added. "We can score goals too, we can defend, we've got great goalkeeping, so it's just being in that mindset that we're never out of the game. I thought after Rutgers scored, we got better and I love watching that growth in a team this deep in a season. I'm really proud of each individual on the team because everyone had to do some work this week."
 
Leeper's goal set a new personal best for the sophomore, who now totals 12 on the season so far. Gans also improves to a career-high and team-leading eight assists in 2024. Freshman Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) and sophomore Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands) chipped in with a goal and an assist, respectively, in the decision. In the cage, graduate student Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) registered five saves, while sophomore Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) also made one stop.
 
Calandra and the River Hawks turned in a strong defensive effort in the first quarter, fending off a trio of corners from the Scarlet Knights. The veteran keeper made a pair of stops in the first 15 minutes and came diving out of the cage to knock the ball out of the circle on a potential breakaway opportunity to keep the game scoreless through the first.
 
However, Rutgers quickly broke open the scoring to start the second, as Guillermina Causarano battled for the ball off Calandra's pads, pulled it back to gain control and lifted shot high into the net to give the visitors a 1-0 edge in the 17^th minute.
 
Kerkhof followed with two attempts for the River Hawks, although she was unable to net the equalizer. Rutgers then closed the period on the offensive, stringing together five corners, but the home team's staunch defense extinguished the opportunities and kept the difference at just 1-0 heading into the break.
 
The River Hawks came out of halftime recharged and quickly erased the difference, as Kerkhof dribbled into the circle and fired a laser of a slap shot on target to make it 1-1 in the 37^th minute. That goal stood as the only shot attempt of the quarter, as the teams battled for control.
 
The teams traded possession in the fourth, as UMass Lowell threatened with three corner chances. Rutgers then made a good attempt in the final seconds of regulation, but Oliemans booted it away, sending the game into overtime.
 
The River Hawks will now close out the regular season on Sunday, November 3 when they welcome America East opponent UC Davis to Lowell for a 12 p.m. matchup.