LOWELL, Mass. – Graduate student Taylor Burgess (Mendon, Mass.) registered a season-high 10 saves in goal, as the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (1-3-0) fell, 3-0, to the LSU Tigers (2-1-0) of the SEC on Thursday evening at Cushing Field.

"It gives you confidence if you know that you can compete (against an SEC school)," said head coach Mira Novak. "If you look at the three goals, two are set pieces and the third was a great free kick. I think we can take a lot of positives. Obviously, you can have very few chances on a game like today and I would have loved to see us score, but unfortunately, there was still a piece missing for us."

Freshman Gaby Eckroth (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) tallied the lone shot for the River Hawks in what was a defensive battle in front of a busy home crowd on Community Night.

The River Hawks kept great pressure throughout the match, making LSU earn their goals. In the first half, the Tigers earned 10 corners and managed to fire off nine shots on goal, keeping Burgess busy between the posts, but the River Hawk defense was stalwart.

In the sixth minute, Burgess made her first stop of the night, leaping towards the top of the net to bat a ball out of air. She made another incredible save moments later, stretching as far as she could to her left and pushing the ball out of the box.

Burgess locked in for another save on a close-range Tigers shot in the 16th minute, but LSU's Angelina Thoreson would find the top left corner in the 19th minute, giving the visitors the 1-0 lead.

After the break, the Tigers were able to extend their margin to 2-0 in the 55th minute, when a ball from Amy Smith hit off the fingertips of Burgess before grazing the back of the net.

In the 60th minute, Eckroth was able to get a head on an inbound pass, but her attempt dribbled just left of the net.

The River Hawks continued to play tough on the defensive end, holding the Tigers to just four shots on goal in the second half. As the minutes ticked away, Burgess tallied back-to-back saves late in the game. Generated off a corner, the Tigers' Mollie Baker was able to dribble by her defender to get behind the ball with her left foot, launching a hard ball right to the hands Burgess in the 78th minute. Less than a minute later, from the top of the box, Brielyn Knowles threatened with another striking ball on target, but Burgess once again punched it away. However, the visitors would create the final, 3-0 margin in the 82nd minute on a strike by Andrea Iljkic.

The River Hawks now continue their homestand on Sunday, September 1, facing off against Rhode Island with kickoff set for 3 p.m.