ORONO, Maine – Junior Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) registered two goals to help propel the UMass Lowell field hockey team (8-7, 3-1 AE) to a thrilling, 3-2 victory at America East foe Maine (5-10, 1-3 AE) in a game that went back-and-forth the whole way on Friday afternoon.
 
"I loved how the team competed today and stayed the course," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We were deliberate in our scoring opportunities today. Road wins are tough – road conference wins are even tougher. I am proud of our effort and our road warrior mentality today."
 
Sophomore Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium) added the final goal of the contest in the last minutes to give the River Hawks the lead for good. Freshman goalkeeper Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) totaled eight saves in the win.
 
The River Hawks were aggressive on offense from the first whistle, quickly jumping in front 1-0 when Penrod charged towards the cage in time to finish a pass from senior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) in the seventh minute. On the other end of the field, Mous was tested in the 11^th minute, but made a stop to keep her squad on top through the first complete quarter.
 
UMass Lowell maintained the upper hand until late in the half when Maine earned a corner and Zoe Furber redirected a ball on target in the 23^rd minute. The River Hawks battled to regain the lead, forcing three corners and putting two chances on cage in the waning minutes, but the 1-1 deadlock would remain at the break.
 
The defenses battled out the third quarter as the stalemate continued. Maine took a slight, 5-3 shot advantage in the period with three corners, but Mous and the River Hawk backline held steady. Leeper accounted for the visitors' lone chance on goal in the third, sending a good shot at the keeper before it was stopped.
 
Maine's Saylor Kuefler found the back of the cage in the 47^th minute to give the home team it's first lead, but less than two minutes later, the River Hawks answered, as Penrod took the ball on her own off a restart, dribbling all the way into the circle and firing past the keeper to even the board once again, this time at 2-2.
 
Both sides continued to battle for a late advantage. Pistilli made an important defensive save in the 52^nd minute to give her team the chance to take the lead for good. In the 58^th minute, the River Hawks got their chance on a corner and Pistilli was back in the mix, this time sending in a ball from the top of the circle towards Van Hemelen, who finished it to put her side ahead, 3-2.
 
The Black Bears did not go quietly, totaling five shots and three corners in the final minute and a half, but the River Hawks withstood the pressure to secure the 3-2 victory.
 
UMass Lowell is back at home on Sunday, October 26 when they host Quinnipiac at 3 p.m. for Senior Day. Admission is free all season thanks to Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.