LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell field hockey team (1-3) treks to North Carolina for a pair of road games this week beginning at Queens (0-3) on Friday, September 12 p.m. at 5 p.m. The River Hawks will then visit Wake Forest (2-2) on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 12 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
The River Hawks faced a pair of hard-fought setbacks last week to move to 1-3 on the season. The team fell, 4-3, against Northeastern at home on Sept. 5 before battling to a 3-2 overtime decision at Yale on Sept. 7. Sophomore Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) and freshman Rena Pistilli (Lambaré, Paraguay) led the offense with two goals apiece in the first and second game of the week, respectively. Freshman goalkeeper Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) finished the week with 11 saves, as well.

LEADING THE FLOCK 
Karlijn Kerkhof currently paces the River Hawk offense with three goals, three assists and nine points. Senior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) adds to the attack with two goals and two assists for six points. Rena Pistilli and senior Ava Clarke (Hopkinton, Mass.) each also have two goals so far. In the cage, Veerle Mous totals 22 saves for a .710 save percentage.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The River Hawks are squaring off against Queens for the first time in program history. UMass Lowell defeated Wake Forest, 1-0, in their first meeting in 2024, marking the program's first win against a Power Four opponent.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc is two wins away from a milestone. She currently owns 298 career victories, having finished Division II with exactly 200 wins. She is the winningest coach in program history.
 
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. 6. Also on the list were Massachusetts, UAlbany and Wake Forest. Last year, the River Hawks defeated one nationally ranked opponent in No. 20 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.
 
TEAM 50
UMass Lowell field hockey is celebrating 50 years in 2025 after starting back in 1975. The team is honoring the history of the program all season, including on Alumni Day with a special post-game reception on Sept. 21. To register, click here.

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.
 
SPREADING THE LOVE
The River Hawks have already shown their depth this year, as six different players tallied a point in the home opener. So far, a total of nine team members have logged a point.
  
OF NOTE
Rena Pistilli logged her first career goals at Yale (9.7) … Veerle Mous logged a personal-best 11 saves vs. Massachusetts (8.31) … freshmen Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) and Haley Wernig (Franklin, Mass.) each logged their first career goal vs. Merrimack (8.29).