BALTIMORE, Md. – Sophomore Gaby Eckroth (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) scored the lone goal, marking her third straight game with a goal, as the UMass Lowell women's soccer team (4-3-3) (1-0-1) secured their first America East victory after coming out on top over UMBC (4-5-3) (0-2-0), 1-0, on Sunday afternoon.
"To come here and get three points, we are very happy with that," said Head Coach Mira Novak. "Really tough game, and I think all these games early are going to be tight. I think today was no exception against a strong UMBC team that's had a strong season so far. We knew that would be a long game that we would have to win over 90 minutes, and that first goal would be really important. I'm glad we were patient, locked it down in the back with the goalkeeper and the back line, and found a way to score a goal. The one thing I felt that was important to us was to keep the intensity high throughout the game. I think a lot of the players coming off the bench changed the game, and allowed us to maintain the intensity throughout 90 minutes. It just puts us a little bit higher up on the table as we keep chasing playoffs, and keep this unbeaten streak going in conference play."
The River Hawks had a 17 to 11 advantage in shots taken over the course of the game, while both sides took four corners. Redshirt freshman Nina Hertz-Saebbö (Gothenburg, Sweden) added an assist on Eckroth's goal, registering her second assist of the season. Sophomore Rachel Welch (Franklin, Mass.) started in net for the eighth time this season, making two saves to complete the clean sheet.
"Gaby's second week in a row winning us points, and Rachel had an outstanding performance and another shutout that was well earned," said Novak.
The Retrievers came out hungry for a goal, as they offered two attempts in the first minute of play. Welch locked in, though, making a big save before the second shot flew right of the goal. Moments later, the River Hawks responded after earning a corner kick in the sixth minute. Senior Maddie Guthrie (Stow, Mass.), taking the corner, struck the ball over to freshman Ava Kopicko (Nashua, N.H.), who then volleyed it at the goal, but the UMBC keeper was there to make the save.
In the 25th minute, looking to get on the board, junior Eliana Parreira (Chelmsford, Mass.) saw an opening from outside the box, striking the ball to the low center of the goal, but the keeper was able to handle it. The River Hawks kept the intensity on offense, including adding two more shot attempts in the 31st minute, but both defenses held strong, keeping the score even at 0-0 heading into the break.
The River Hawks opened the second half with another great scoring opportunity, this time by junior Luka Marceau (Newton, Mass.) in the 51st minute, but a UMBC defender jumped in front to reject the shot. Four minutes later, the Retrievers thought they saw their opportunity to jump in front, but Welch continued to impress, making a save to shut down the home side.
In the 67th minute, Eckroth hit her stride, ripping a shot that flew left of the net, but capitalized on another scoring opportunity moments later. Pushing the ball into the offensive end, Hertz-Saebbö found Eckroth at the top of the box, who quickly fired a shot past the keeper, netting in the go-ahead goal with just under 20 minutes to play.
The River Hawks looked to solidify their lead in the 83rd minute when freshman Nora Belin (Stockholm, Sweden) passed the ball over to freshman Emma Theorén (Sollentuna, Vällingby) on the left side, smashing it to the lower left side of the goal, but the home goalkeeper was there to collect the ball. The River Hawks stayed sharp on defense the rest of the way, as the clock would hit zero to seal the 1-0 victory for UMass Lowell on Sunday afternoon.
The River Hawks hit the road again this Thursday, October 2, when they match up against New Hampshire at Wildcat Stadium. The game is set to start at 6:00 p.m. in Durham, N.H.
"Looking forward to the game on Thursday against UNH," said Novak. "They're always a strong opponent, and it's obviously the closest game to us, so it's a little bit of a rivalry game. I think everybody knows everybody, so those games are always tricky, but I feel any game away is hard. So, hopefully we can keep going and keep finding answers that the opponents present to us. Happy with the team, and a good trip for us. Just want to step into the next week with the only game on Thursday and make sure we keep going."
