River Hawks Drop Rainy Contest at UAlbany

Sunday, October 11

Albany, N.Y.

2PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

3-5-4, 0-1-3

UAlbany

4-7-1, 2-3-0

Team	1	2	Final F
UMass Lowell	0	0	0
UAlbany	1	0	1

River Hawks Drop Rainy Contest at UAlbany

10/11/2026 4:58:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team (3-5-4, 0-1-3 AE) fell 1-0 at UAlbany (4-7-1, 2-3 AE) on Sunday afternoon despite setting season highs in both shots and shots on goal. The River Hawks offense produced 17 shots, 12 of which were on goal.

We didn't enter the game the way we wanted and found ourselves down a goal five minutes in, said Head Coach Mira Novak. I give credit to UAlbany for locking it down defensively; their goalkeeper had an outstanding game and kept them in it. Despite creating chances, we were not able to capitalize on them, and the result is what it is right now.

Among UMass Lowell's top offensive performers were senior Marissa Sage (Milford, N.H.) and sophomore Nina Hertz-Saebbö (Gothenburg, Sweden). The duo finished with four shots and three shots on goal apiece.

Overall, as a team, the River Hawks outshot the Great Danes 17-15 and doubled their shots on goal 12-6. The early goal from UAlbany was the difference in the match.

Between the posts, junior Rachel Welch (Franklin, Mass.) got the start and made four saves. Sophomore Lucie Chumanová (Prague, Czechia) held UAlbany scoreless and made a save in her 13 minutes of work.

Early on, the Great Danes put pressure on the River Hawk defense. Around the three-minute mark, Welch made a strong save to halt a UAlbany breakaway. However, the home team found the board first with a Tamia Nelson goal at six minutes.

Sage recorded UMass Lowell's first shot around 12 minutes, with sophomore Nora Belin (Stockholm, Sweden) tacking on another a few seconds later. Although the River Hawks couldn't score, they maintained an aggressive brand of offense through the middle stages of the half.

Strong passing and a slick move set junior Mia Eva Girgis (Montreal, Quebec) up with a scoring chance at 25 minutes, but she wasn't quite able to connect.

Late in the half, an excellent turn from sophomore Kiera Fitzpatrick (Methuen, Mass.), set up a shot attempt for freshman Ines Pietikainen (Espoo, Finland). UAlbany's goalkeeper, Claudia Volino, made the save to keep UMass Lowell off the board.

While the River Hawks went to the break down 1-0, they came out of the half with a shot attempt in the first minute. Girgis fired off another line-drive shot at 50 minutes, but the Great Danes made another save.

Again, Girgis rattled off a shot that was saved. Her left-footed strike at 56 minutes was swatted away at the last second. UMass Lowell continued to apply pressure.

With around 15 minutes left, Sage logged two more shots on goal in a row, as Volino saved both. A one-on-one opportunity from Belin with a minute left led to another save from the Great Danes goalie.

Up next, the River Hawks return home to take on UMBC on Sunday, October 18. Kickoff at Cushing Field is set for noon, and admission is free courtesy of Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.