May 3 at UAlbany: Live Stats | Watch | Championship Central
 
ALBANY, N.Y. - Making their first ever postseason appearance, the No. 4 seeded UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (12-5, 3-3 AE) hits the road to battle the No. 1 UAlbany Great Danes (7-9, 5-1 AE) in the America East Semifinals on Friday, May 3. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m. at John Fallon Field.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Great Danes would mark the first ever playoff win for the River Hawks and send them to their first America East Championship game. It would also move the River Hawks to 13-5, extending the program record for most wins in a season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Senior Megan Brockbank (Bayport, N.Y.) tallied a team-high four goals, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team earned a 16-11 victory over the Vermont Catamounts to clinch their first America East Playoff berth in program history. Brockbank, who added two assists, was one of seven goal-scorers for the River Hawks. Behind her, freshman Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) tallied three goals and an assist, while sophomore Audra Hansen (Stamford, Ct.) netted two goals with two assists. Junior Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.) completed a hat trick, freshman Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) struck twice, sophomore Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) chipped in a goal and assist, and sophomore Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) finished with one goal.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Following the conclusion of the best regular season in UMass Lowell women's lacrosse history, six River Hawks alongside Head Coach Lisa Miller have garnered All-Conference honors, as announced by the conference on Thursday morning. Continuing the already historic season, for the first time ever the River Hawks were recognized among the league's major award winners. Coach Miller was named the America East Coach of the Year after leading her team to the best record in program history, as well as their first-ever postseason berth. Freshman Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) also earned a major award, as she was tabbed the America East Rookie of the Year following her dominant collegiate debut. In addition to winning the major award, Bowers was named to the All-Conference Second Team and the All-Rookie Team. Joining her in being recognized by the conference, graduate student Julia Napolitano (Oakdale, N.Y.) and junior Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.) were tabbed to the All-Conference First Team. In addition to Bowers, sophomore Audra Hansen (Stamford, Ct.) and freshman Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) received Second Team nods, while Bowers, Kuhn, and freshman Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) all earned spots on the All-Rookie Team.  
 
HITTING THE ROAD
Earlier this season, the River Hawks embarked on a season-long six-game road trip that lasted over a month. During the road trip, UMass Lowell posted a 4-2 record and recorded double-digit goals in all but one match. Though the trip was highlighted by a 21-2 victory over Gardner-Webb, the River Hawks also nearly pulled off an upset victory over #23 Brown, falling 15-14 in the final minutes. The River Hawks excellent play away from home didn't stop there, as they finished the season 7-3 on the road, including an 18-10 conference win over New Hampshire.
 
GONE STREAKING
With the victory over Presbyterian earlier in the season, the River Hawks tallied their eighth straight win, setting the program record for most wins in a row and most wins in a season.
 
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
The River Hawks have set a plethora of program records this season, beginning when they took down Presbyterian for their eighth win, a new program high. During that streak, Catlin caught fire against Winthrop, finding the back of the net eight times, surpassing the previous single-game record of seven. Weeks later, Brockbank reached the 125-point milestone, becoming the program's new all-time points leader. Finally, in her first season, Bowers set the record for most goals in a season by a River Hawk when she scored for the 45th time in the win over Bryant.
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Anchored by multiple seasoned veterans, UMass Lowell's defense has been a key part of the team's success this season. Through 16 games, the defensive unit ranks 28th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 10.12 goals per game, propelling the River Hawks to the 20th-best scoring margin in the country (+4.24). Meanwhile, the team also tallies 8.71 caused turnovers per game, ranking second in the America East.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Bowers paces the squad with 47 goals and 56 points and adds 19 draw controls through 17 games, while Goldie totals a team-high 18 assists. Right behind Bowers, Catlin has tallied 45 goals, including a program-record eight against Winthrop, and ranks second on her team with 26 ground balls. On defense, graduate student Julia Napolitano (Oakdale, N.Y.) posts a team-best 32 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers, including a season-high four in the win over LIU. In net, all four goalkeepers have seen time, with Kuhn leading the River Hawks with 140 saves in 824 minutes, good for a 10-5 record.
 
BRICK WALL IN NET
Another major piece of the freshman class, Alexa Kuhn has proven to be a top goalkeeper in the country in her first season. With a 10-5 record on the season, including three wins in conference play, the New York native ranks 19th in the country and first in the conference with 9.33 saves per game. Even more impressive, she owns a 49.5 save percentage which sits sixth in the nation.
 
CLOSING TIME
The River Hawks have excelled at closing out games, owning a 10-1 record when they enter the fourth quarter with a lead. Though the one loss came against then #23 Brown, they also own one come from behind victory in the final period, taking down Quinnipiac 11-9 with three goals in the final six minutes.
 
TIP OF THE HAT
In all 17 games this season, UMass Lowell has had at least one player record a hat trick, and tallied four, a season-high, in back-to-back games against Boston University and New Hampshire. Leading the charge, Jade Catlin totals 11 three-goal games, the most in a single season by a River Hawk. Right behind her, Bowers totals 10, while Goldie, Brockbank, Lydon, and Hansen all have four on the year.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
The freshmen have left their mark early on UMass Lowell, as Bowers has been named America East Rookie of the Week five times, Goldie has earned the honor four times, and Kuhn has been tabbed the America East Defensive Player of the Week twice. In the season opener, Bowers had a record-setting day, scoring five goals and totaling six points, both program records for a player in their collegiate debut. Kuhn was stellar in her first two starts, making nine saves against Stonehill and 16 against Quinnipiac to help lead her team to a 2-0 week. This week, Goldie earned her fourth weekly honor after posting her fourth hat trick of the season against Vermont to help send her squad to the playoffs.
 
SCOUTING UALBANY
The No. 1 Great Danes welcome the River Hawks to town after winning three straight to clinch home field advantage. Leading the UAlbany offense is Katie Pascale, who tallies 37 goals and 32 assists for 69 points, leading the America East. Pascale also totals 69 draw controls, 18 caused turnovers, and 32 ground balls, all ranking in the top three on her team. In net, Grace Cincebox, who was named the Goalkeeper of the Year, has started all 16 games, totaling 148 saves in 937 minutes, good for a .418 save percentage.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell and UAlbany have battled nine times, with the Great Danes owning an 9-0 record. Only two weeks earlier, the two sides battled to a 5-5 draw at half, but the Great Danes used a 4-1 third quarter to propel themselves to a 10-7 victory.