LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell field hockey team (4-5) hits the road this week for a pair of games to close out a three-game swing. First up, the River Hawks open America East Conference play at Bryant (2-6) on Friday, October 3 at 3 p.m. The team then visits Dartmouth (2-5) for a non-conference matchup on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 12 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks faced a tough, 4-0 setback in their lone game last week to move  to 4-5 on the season. Freshman goalkeeper Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) finished the week with 10 saves.  
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Sophomore Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) currently paces the River Hawk offense with eight goals, five assists and 21 points. Senior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) adds to the attack with four goals and four assists for twelve points. Senior Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) also has five goals, so far. In the cage, Veerle Mous totals 50 saves for a .667 save percentage.
 
SERIES HISTORY
UMass Lowell owns a 6-2 edge in the series against Bryant after earning a 4-0 win last season. The River Hawks also lead the series against Dartmouth, 4-3, thanks to a 5-1 win in 2024.   
 
MAKING A MILESTONE
On Sept. 19 with a 14-0 victory against New Haven, Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc earned her 300th career victory. The decision also marked her 100th win as a coach at the Division I level. Her 300 victories include two national championships, 8 NE-10 titles and 1 America East regular-season championship. Coach LeBlanc is the program's winningest and longest tenured coach, now in her 24th season at the helm.
 
RECORD BREAKER
With 14 goals against New Haven on Sept. 19, the River Hawks set a new all-time, single-game record. The previous record was 10 goals, last set in 2011.
 
STIFF COMPETITION
Four of the River Hawks' 2025 opponents were listed in the NFHCA Division I preseason national rankings, including Harvard, who had checked in at No. 4. Also on the list were Massachusetts, UAlbany and Wake Forest. Last year, the River Hawks defeated one nationally ranked opponent in No. 15 Rutgers. Since 2021, the team has challenged 14 nationally ranked opponents with 10 of the 11 setbacks being decided by two goals or less, including the recent outing against No. 14 Massachusetts on Aug. 31.
 
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks have already shown their depth this year, as six different players tallied a point in the home opener. Then on Sept. 19, a DI record 11 players registered at least a point against New Haven. So far, a total of 15 team members have logged a point.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The season-opening win against Merrimack extended the River Hawks' home win streak to 10 games. The streak spanned from August 30, 2024 through Aug. 29, 2025, as UMass Lowell went an undefeated 9-0 on its home turf in 2024.
 
STARTING STRONG
The decision against Merrimack marked the River Hawks' ninth consecutive win in a home opener at Wicked Blue.
 
OF NOTE
Junior Kathryn Guertin (Holden, Mass.), freshman Alexa Guarneri (Hockessin, Del.) and freshman Helena Herlocher (State College, Pa.) logged their first career goals against New Haven (9.19) … freshman Holly Beckinsale (Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland) logged her first career goals at Queens (9.12) … Veerle Mous logged a personal-best 14 saves vs. Massachusetts (9.14) … freshmen Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) and Haley Wernig (Franklin, Mass.) each logged their first career goal vs. Merrimack (8.29).