LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell field hockey team (1-1) will wrap up a three-game road swing this week. The River Hawks will first trek to Brown for a 2 p.m. contest on Friday, September 6 before heading to Bucknell for a 12 p.m. matchup on Sunday, September 8.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks opened the 2024 season with a 1-1 week. The squad showed off its depth with six different goal scorers in a 6-0 victory against Merrimack in the season opener at home on August 30. The team was then tested by one of the top teams in the nation, as UMass Lowell visited No. 5 Duke, battling to a hard-fought, 3-1 decision that featured a goal from freshman Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands).
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through two games, Kerkhof paces the offense with two goals and five points, in addition to six shots on goal. Graduate student Mirthe Gans (Tiel, Netherlands) adds a team-best two assists with four total points. In the cage, graduate student goalkeeper Christina Calandra (Manchester, Mass.) owns the 1-1 record with four saves. Sophomore keeper Marie Oliemans (Driebergen, Netherlands) has registered five saves with an .833 save percentage, as well.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win on Friday would give the River Hawks their third consecutive victory against the Bears after winning the 2023 meeting, 2-0, at home.
 
AMERICA EAST AWARDS
Karlijn Kerkhof garnered the first America East Rookie of the Week nod of the new season thanks to five points in her first two games.
 
STARTING STRONG
The decision against Merrimack marked the River Hawks' eighth consecutive win in a home opener at Wicked Blue.
 
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks have already shown their depth this year, as six different players tallied a point in the home opener.
 
STIFF COMPETITION
Four of the River Hawks' 2024 opponents were listed in the NFHCA Division I preseason national rankings, including Duke, who had checked in at No. 5. Also on the list were Rutgers, Wake Forest and UAlbany. Last year, the River Hawks defeated two nationally ranked opponents. Since 2021, the team has challenged 10 nationally ranked opponents with seven of the eight setbacks being decided by two goals or less.
 
OF NOTE
Karlijn Kerkhof logged her first career points in her collegiate debut against Merrimack (8.30).
 
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
The team soared to new heights in last season, setting multiple Division I program records, including total wins with a 14-4 overall mark and conference wins with a 7-1 finish.  The squad not only claimed its first ever Kennedy Cup, but also entered the national rankings for the first time in Division I program history just a week later, checking in at No. 18 in the country. The River Hawks stayed in the top 20 for the remainder of the regular season, reaching as high as No. 17. The team closed out the regular season with four straight conference wins to capture its first America East regular-season championship and No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament.