LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell women’s lacrosse team is excited to take on the 2024 season. With an experienced roster that features two graduate students and seven seniors, alongside an incoming class of 11, the River Hawks have set their sights on the America East Conference Tournament. The team will kick off the 2024 campaign on Sunday, February 11, against the reigning NEC Champion and NCAA Tournament participant Sacred Heart Pioneers.

Last year, the River Hawks made a competitive leap  from previous seasons, finishing with a 6-10 record, the most wins for the program since going 7-9 during the 2017 season. With an experienced defense that returns most of its starters, alongside a new look offense, UMass Lowell will look to take another step forward and compete for a spot in the conference playoffs and an America East title.

2024 Captains Release

The River Hawks will look to their five captains for leadership: Caroline Klim (Wrentham, Mass.), Julia Napolitano (Oakdale, N.Y.), Emerson Laundry (Swampscott, Mass.), Megan Brockbank (Bayport, N.Y.) and Elsa Skinner (Annapolis, Md.). The two graduate students, Klim and Napolitano, who have been at UMass Lowell now for four years, have been instrumental in helping develop the culture of the program.

On the defensive side, the River Hawks return all starters, including seniors Emerson Laundry, Rylee Kelly (Harwood, Md.), Kiley McCarthy (North Reading, Mass.), and junior Daia Hansford (Bowie, Md.) alongside the graduate student pairing of Klim and Napolitano. The group proved reliable, as they combined to miss only one game, while all finishing top six on the team in ground balls and caused turnovers.

With four goalkeepers on the roster, senior Jillian Schumacher (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), junior Kendall Whalen (Belmont, Mass.), sophomore Hannah Shaddock (Corning, N.Y.), and freshman Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) are competing for the role of the starting goaltender. Last season, Shaddock made an impact immediately in her first year, as she was named the America East Rookie of the Week in the first two weeks of the season. After starting in all 16 games and finishing with 135 saves, the New York native was tabbed to the America East All-Rookie team following the conclusion of the regular season. 

For the second year in a row, the River Hawks will open the season on the road when they take a quick trip to Fairfield, Connecticut, to visit Sacred Heart. UMass Lowell will then host local rival Merrimack on Feb. 14 in the home opener before visiting LIU on Feb. 17. Following a home game against Stonehill on Feb. 21, the River Hawks will kick off their longest road trip of the season at Quinnipiac to wrap up the opening month of play. 

UMass Lowell flies south to start March, taking on Big South opponents Winthrop, Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian on their spring break trip. The River Hawks will then return to New England to square off against Brown on March 16 before opening America East Conference play at Binghamton on March 23, concluding the six-game road trip. The team closes out the month when league foe UMBC comes to town on March 30.

April is filled with home games for the River Hawks, beginning on April 3 when Boston University visits Cushing Field for the first time since 2018. UMass Lowell will then take a short ride north to battle New Hampshire ahead of hosting the Kennedy Cup clash against UMass Amherst on Tuesday, April 9. 

The squad will then wrap up the season with weekly conference battles, taking on Bryant at Cushing Field ahead of the final regular-season road trip to UAlbany. Finally, the River Hawks will wrap up the regular season at home against Vermont on April 27.