River Hawks Roll To 18-9 Victory Over Merrimack

Wednesday, February 14

Lowell, Mass.

2PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

2-0

Merrimack

0-2

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Merrimack	1	3	3	2	9
UMass Lowell	9	4	3	2	18

River Hawks Roll To 18-9 Victory Over Merrimack

2/14/2024 5:43:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Highlights Postgame

LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Megan Brockbank (Bayport, N.Y.) and freshman Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) each recorded a career-high seven points, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (2-0) cruised to an 18-9 victory over the Merrimack Warriors (0-2) in the home opener on Wednesday afternoon.

With the victory, the River Hawks move to 2-0 for the first time in program history.

"I thought we started fast and did a really good job on the draw circle, which we keep getting better in that area," said Head Coach Lisa Miller. "I'm happy with the performance. There are some things we can get better at, situationally, but I'm happy with the performance."

Brockbank, who was one of 11 River Hawks to record a point, finished with three goals and four points. Goldie scored a personal-best five goals with two assists, while sophomore Audra Hansen (Stamford, Conn.) chipped in with three goals. The River Hawks also had a few firsts, as freshman Marlee Green (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and Bronwyn Hilbert (Lancaster, Pa.) scored their first career goals and Mia Mitchell tallied her first collegiate assist. In net, sophomore Hannah Shaddock (Corning, N.Y.) earned the victory with one save in 30 minutes, before junior Kendall Whalen (Belmont, Mass.) came in for the second half, making two saves.

UMass Lowell got to work early, scoring the first goal of the match less than three minutes off the stick of sophomore Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.). The offense kept rolling, as sophomore Macy Schultz (Adams, N.Y.) fired off her first goal of the year before Lydon found the back of the net a second time to put her squad up 3-0 with 10:01 on the clock. Merrimack broke their scoreless stretch with a goal at the 8:40 mark, but the River Hawks erupted, scoring six-straight, highlighted by two from Hansen and Goldie, to take a 9-1 lead into the second quarter.

The UMass Lowell defense continued to shine, holding Merrimack scoreless for nearly four minutes into the quarter, but the Warriors found the back of the net twice in under 60 seconds to cut the deficit down to 9-3. The River Hawks refused to let the visitors back into the game, though, as Goldie and Hansen both struck again to retake an eight-goal lead with 6:54 remaining in the half. Merrimack added another shortly after, but the UMass Lowell defense locked down, keeping them off the board the remainder of the half, while the offense added two more to take a 13-4 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the River Hawks picked up right where they left off as Goldie tallied her fifth goal of the game with 13:27 on the clock. The Warriors started to find momentum, scoring two goals in three minutes to pull back within eight, but UMass Lowell countered instantly with Hilbert's first career goal to keep the opposition at bay. In the final five minutes of the quarter, both defenses stood strong, allowing one goal each, to make it 16-7 heading into the fourth.

Looking to seal the victory, freshman Maddy Izzo (Monkton, Md.) tallied her first collegiate point with an assist on a goal by Brockbank, and Green shortly followed her first goal, extending the lead to 18-7 with nine minutes to play. Merrimack scored twice in the final minutes as they attempted to make a comeback, but the River Hawks controlled the clock, sealing the 18-9 victory.

Next up, the River Hawks will hit the road to take on the LIU Sharks on Saturday, February 17. Opening draw is set for 11 a.m. at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium.