LOWELL, Mass. – Following a thrilling 14-13 victory on Saturday afternoon, the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (11-2) returns to non-conference play when they visit the Dartmouth Big Green (7-5) on Wednesday, April 16.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.) tallied a season-high six
goals, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse (11-2, 5-0 AE) earned a hard-fought victory over the Binghamton Bearcats (4-9, 1-3 AE), 14-13, on Saturday afternoon to clinch at least a share of the America East Regular Season Title. Catlin, who added four draw controls and a caused turnover, was one of four River Hawks to record a point on the day. Tied with her at six points, sophomore Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) added five goals and an assist, while junior Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) finished the day with three goals and an assist. Rounding out the point scorers, sophomore Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) tallied an assist. The primary draw taker,
junior Rachel Stax (Milton, Ga.) recorded a career-high with 12 draw controls on the afternoon, and in net sophomore Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) made 11 saves in the victory.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Catlin paces the offense through 13 games, scoring 45 goals alongside six assists for 51 points. Behind her, Goldie ranks second with 38 points on 26 goals and 12 assists. Bowers ranks third on the squad with 37 points, including 31 goals, the second most on the team, while freshman Georgia Ruscitti (Toronto, Ontario) and Lydon are tied with a team-best 13 assists. Sophomore
Allie Reading (Draper, Utah) leads the squad with 14 caused turnovers, one ahead of Catlins' 13. Junior Rachel Stax (Milton, Ga.) has totaled 63 draw controls so far this season, a new career high, and in net Kuhn has made 117 saves, good for a .488 save percentage, ranking 14th in the country and first in the conference through 13 games.
RED HOT RIVER HAWKS
The River Hawks have caught fire at the right time, as they enter Wednesday's match on a six-game winning streak, the sixth-longest win streak in the country which also includes a perfect 5-0 in conference play. Although it is not the longest win streak in program history, it does mark the best start to America East play the team has ever had, while the 11-2 mark on the season surpasses 2024's 8-3 start as the best in UMass Lowell's history. Currently, the River Hawks boast a 0.846 win percentage in 13 games, good for sixth in Division I.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
This season has been one to remember for the River Hawks, with multiple program records being shattered since the season opener. With four goals in game one against Manhattan, Catlin reached the 94 career goals mark, setting the new record for goals in a career for a River Hawk. Only two games later, she set the points record for the program, surpassing the previous high of 137 points. Against UMBC, Goldie added her name to the record books, tallying a new single-game high of nine points, including a career-best six goals.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
In her senior season, Jade Catlin is putting up one of the best seasons of her career, ranking in the top 15 in the America East in nearly every major statistical category. One of the top offensive players in the conference, she ranks fifth in points per game (3.92) and third in goals per game (3.46). Meanwhile, she also sits tied for 14
th in ground balls per game (1.54), 10
th in draw controls (3.15), and tied for tenth in caused turnovers (1.00). With three games remaining in the regular season, she also has a chance to surpass the program record of 48 goals in a season, set last year by both her and
Chloe Bowers.
FREE IS FOR ME
The River Hawks have been one of the best teams in the nation when given a free position shot, posting a .563 free position percentage, which ranks fifth in the country. Leading the way for UMass Lowell, Catlin owns a .700 free position percentage, sitting ninth in the country, while averaging 1.08 free position goals per game, which ranks 13th in Division I.
AMERICA EAST HONORS
This week, Catlin was named the America East Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a season-high six goals over Binghamton. The week prior, following the record-breaking win over UMBC, Goldie was tabbed with the same honor, while freshman Madison Carter (Baltimore, Md.) was tabbed the Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Against UAlbany, Kuhn
was named the America East Goaltender of the Week, marking the fourth time she has earned the honor this season. In week three, Kuhn was named Goalie of the Week while Reading was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week, the second straight week the River Hawks earned the two honors, as Kuhn was the Goaltender of the Week and Carter the Defensive Player of the Week in Week Two. After setting the program's career goals record with an impressive four-goal performance in the season opener win, Catlin was named the America East Offensive Player of the Week in Week One.
SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth enters Wednesday's match on a two-game losing streak, with both losses coming to ranked conference opponents. The Big Green's offense is led by Katina Christensen, who tallies a team-best 32 points off 23 goals and nine assists. Tied for the lead in goals, Catherine Erb ranks second with 24 points off 23 goals and an assist. Defensively, Mia Puccio leads the team in caused turnovers (11), while ranking second in draw controls (20) and third in ground balls (14). In net, senior Gisele Todd has started every game, making 105 saves while allowing 128 goals, good for a .451 save percentage.
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell and Dartmouth have squared off four times, with the Big Green escaping victorious each time. The last time they faced came during the 2023 season when Dartmouth earned a 16-7 victory in Lowell.
