DURHAM, N.H. – Sophomores Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) and Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) each scored a career-high five points, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (10-3, 1-2 AE) took down the New Hampshire Wildcats (2-9, 0-3 AE), 18-10, on Saturday afternoon at Tucker Field.

"I'm please with the overall effort and decision making of all the units today," said Head Coach Lisa Miller. "The draw control group gave us extra possessions, the defense stayed disciplined in the scout, and the offense did well against an older defensive unit. Looking at a quick turn around for the game against UMass Amherst."
 
Shultz and Lydon, who each finished with four goals and an assist, were joined by senior Megan Brockbank (Bayport, N.Y.) and junior Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.) as River Hawks who finished with a hat trick. Catlin also added two assists for five total points, while freshmen Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) both chipped in with two goals and an assist. In net, freshman Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) made four saves in the start.
 
Although the Wildcats opened the scoring with a goal just over a minute in, it didn't take long for the River Hawks to take control, as Bowers evened the score with a free-position goal, kickstarting a three-goal burst from the visitors to own a 3-1 advantage with 7:53 on the clock. Despite two goals from New Hampshire knotting it up with just over three minutes to go, Brockbank found the back of the net twice in 30 seconds before Lydon added one in the final minute, giving UMass Lowell a 6-3 lead after one.
 
Early in the second, the hosts got one back off the stick of Grace Curran at 11:25, but the UMass Lowell was up for the challenge, holding the opposition without a shot for nearly five minutes of action. Meanwhile, Catlin countered, striking for the first time in the match to regain the three-goal buffer, followed by a woman-up goal from Lydon to make it an 8-4 lead for the River Hawks with 4:54 remaining in the half. New Hampshire got back on the board just over a minute later, but Lydon completed the hat trick to give her squad a 9-5 edge heading into the break. 
 
Coming out of halftime, the visitors used their momentum to string together a 3-1 run, highlighted by two goals from Shultz that Catlin assisted on, to own a 12-6 lead midway through the quarter. The defense continued to impress for the River Hawks, allowing only one more goal quarter before Shultz tallied her fourth goal of the afternoon to make it 13-7 heading into the final period.
                                                                   
UMass Lowell exploded offensively to open the fourth, firing off three goals in a four-minute window to take a commanding 16-7 lead, their largest of the afternoon. Although the Wildcats fired back with two of their own as part of a comeback attempt, the veteran River Hawks' defense showed its experience, holding the hosts to one goal for the remainder of the game, while Bowers and Catlin each added one more, sealing the 18-10 victory. 
 
Next up, the River Hawks face a quick turnaround as they battle the Massachusetts Minutewomen as part of the Kennedy Cup Challenge on Tuesday, April 9. Opening draw is set for 3:30 pm at Cushing Field.