LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Hilary Jaén (Las Margaritas, Panama) tallied two shots over the course of the game, as the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (1-2-0) fell 4-0 against Idaho (2-1-0) in their third non-conference game of the season on Thursday night.
"I don't think we were able to match with them really well today," said Head Coach Mira Novak. "They scored early which we wanted to avoid, and I think the first half from our side, we were almost a little bit lucky going to halftime down 1-0. The second half, unfortunately, we got punished with a penalty kick and two corner kicks. They did create more chances today, and we didn't earn it. It shows us some gaps that we need to deal with moving forward."
The Vandals held a 19-5 shot advantage over the River Hawks, while also totaling 11 corners to UMass Lowell's one. Freshman Lucie Chumanová (Prague, Czech Republic) started in goal for the first time in her collegiate career, recording nine saves in the contest.
Idaho put the pressure on the UMass Lowell defense early, putting up a pair of shots early before capitalizing on a shot on net in the 10th minute. The Vandal's Hallie Prinos-Grumbach collected the rebound in front of the net, tapping in the goal to give her squad an early 1-0 lead. Looking to retaliate, Jaén found an opportunity, firing off a shot on net with only the keeper in front of her, but a save by the goaltender kept the senior off the board.
Despite Idaho continuing to fire off shots, UMass Lowell's defense was up to the challenge. In the final 15 minutes of the half, Chumanová stood her ground in net, making two great saves to keep it a 1-0 deficit heading into the break.
The Vandals opened the second half with the same intensity, earning themselves a penalty kick in the 55th minute. Annika Farley took advantage of the penalty kick, sending the ball into the back left of the net, stretching Idaho's lead to 2-0.
In the 61st minute, the River Hawks found another opportunity, this time thanks to a corner kick. Senior Maddie Guthrie (Stow, Mass.) controlled the ball after it bounced back in her direction off the corner, crossing the ball into the middle of the box, setting up sophomore Gaby Eckroth (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) who headed a shot to bottom center, but the visiting keeper got a hold of the ball.
Idaho continued to pressure, extending its lead to 3-0 on a corner kick, after Sara Rodgers scored on a header in the 65th minute. Although the River Hawks found another chance when redshirt freshman Nina Hertz-Saebbö (Gothenburg, Sweden) struck a powerful shot in the 70th minute, it flew just right of the net. In the final minutes, the Vandals added one more goal, sealing the 4-0 decision on Thursday night.
The River Hawks are back home on Thursday, August 28, for their fourth non-conference game of the season against Kansas State. The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Cushing Field.
"It's a power four opponent here, so I think we have to earn every single inch on the field, and it's not going to happen to us, we got to make it happen," said Novak. "I do want to see the players over the next week a little bit hungry, and come out with some fire. Today, we knew we played a strong opponent, but definitely didn't want to end up down 4-0. So, it's not going to be much different next week. Endorsing that physical play and being able to play up with their strong physical players just needs to be better. So I just want to see a little shift in mindset. I don't think the team's happy with how the game went today, and we have another opportunity next week."
