LOWELL, Mass. – Following a history victory at home last weekend, the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (9-2, 3-0 AE) hits the road once again, this time to take on the UMBC Retrievers (10-1, 3-0 AE) in a battle for first place.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior Jade Catlin (Middletown, Md.) and sophomore Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario) each scored five goals, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (9-2, 3-0 AE) took down the UAlbany Great Danes (3-8, 1-1 AE), 13-9, on Saturday night. Catlin, who added an assist for a six-point day, added two ground balls and ten draw controls to her stat line. Goldie also added an assist to help lead the offense, as well as two ground balls. Behind them, junior Audra Hansen (Stamford, Ct.) chipped in with two goals and an assist, while junior Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) tallied a goal of her own. Rounding out the scoring, sophomore Bronwyn Hilbert (Lancaster, Pa.) finished with an assist. In net, sophomore Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) made ten saves while allowing only nine goals, good for a .526 save percentage. With the win, the River Hawks are off to their best start in program history and their best start in conference play.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Catlin paces the offense through ten games, scoring 36 goals alongside six assists for 42 points. Behind her, Hansen sits second with 35 points off 23 goals and 12 assists, while sophomore Chloe Bowers' (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) 28 goals are the second most on the team. Shultz sits fourth with 29 points, while freshman Georgia Ruscitti (Toronto, Ontario) has a team-best 13 assists. Sophomore Allie Reading (Draper, Utah) and Catlin lead the squad with 12 caused turnovers each. Junior Rachel Stax (Milton, Ga.) has totaled 47 draw controls so far this season, and in net, Kuhn has made 96 saves, good for a .495 save percentage, ranking 18th in the country and first in the conference through 11 games.

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 .569 free position percentage, which ranks sixth in the country. Leading the way for UMass Lowell, Catlin owns a .688 free position percentage, sitting 15th in the country, while averaging 1.00 free position goal per game, which currently puts her 17th in Division I.

AMERICA EAST HONORS
After a 10-save performance against UAlbany, Kuhn was named the America East Goaltender of the Week, marking the fourth time she has earned the honor this season. After a strong defensive showing in the conference opener against New Hampshire, freshman Madison Carter (Baltimore, Md.) was named the America East Rookie of the Week. In week three, Kuhn was named Goalie of the Week while Reading was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week, marking 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 UMBC
The Retrievers enter Saturday's match riding a four-game win streak, most recently taking down Binghamton, 12-11. The UMBC offense features three players with at least 40 points, as Emily Knapp leads the way with 48 points on 34 goals and 14 assists. Right behind her with 47 points, Katana Nelson owns a team-best 45 goals, while Grace Bruce rounds things out with 37 goals and four assists for 41 points. Three players total double-digit caused turnovers, once again led by Nelson and Knapp who total 11 and 10, respectively. In net, three goalkeepers have seen time, with Isabella Fontana making the start in all 11 games, allowing 92 goals while making 56 saves for a .378 save percentage. Last time out, Mikaela Staranko played the majority of the game, totaling 44 minutes in net while making eight saves and allowing only four goals.

MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell and UMBC have faced off nine times, with the Retrievers winning each match in the all-time series. Last season, UMBC barely held on, earning a 14-12 victory despite a second-half offensive explosion from the River Hawks.