River Hawks Control Possession, but Face Senior Day Setback against Dartmouth

Sunday, October 18

Lowell, Mass.

3PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(8-7)

Dartmouth

(4-9)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Dartmouth	0	0	1	0	1
UMass Lowell	0	0	0	0	0

River Hawks Control Possession, but Face Senior Day Setback against Dartmouth

10/18/2026 7:18:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Highlights

LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Rena Pistilli (Lambaré, Paraguay) led the UMass Lowell field hockey team (8-7) with six shots in a closely-contested, 1-0 setback against Ivy League foe Dartmouth (4-9) on Senior Day at Wicked Blue Field.

"Obviously, sports are results driven and the score at the end of the game always matters," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "Unfortunately, we did it all today except finish. I still believe that we're working on the 'burnt toast theory' and everything game played regardless of outcome is preparing us for something bigger. And this is just another game where we get to learn and grow and make adjustments going forward for conference play."

"I am proud of the team's repeatability of mentality tempo, high-pressure and creating a tremendous amount of opportunities in the attacking 25. We will get back to the drawing board to make sure that we capitalize and that we make adjustments to our press, so one mistake doesn't cost us the result. Really proud of the team for giving up zero defensive corners today. That's a true testament to their work on individual and team defense. It's an unfortunate result, especially on Senior Day, but I know these four seniors have the big picture in mind and they're on a quest to make history and there's no doubt in my mind, they will lead us to that over these next couple of weeks."

As a team, the River Hawks controlled the ball throughout the entire contest, outshooting the Big Green, 23-3, and taking a 16-0 edge on corners. Sophomore goalkeepers Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) and Megan MacMiller (Tarzana, Calif.) split time in the cage, as MacMiller registered one second-half save.

The River Hawks attacked from the first whistle, earning five corners and a penalty stroke in the first quarter, although Dartmouth was able to fend off the chances and keep the game scoreless.

UMass Lowell continued to pressure heading into the second, forcing another corner with a shot on target by Frédèrique van den Dungen (Rosmalen, Netherlands) in the 17^th minute, but Dartmouth's keeper was able to make the stop. The defenses continued to control the game throughout the remainder of the quarter with just one more corner in favor of the River Hawks, however, the game would remain scoreless heading into the break.

Coming out of halftime, the River Hawks maintained possession, stringing together three consecutive shots on target from senior Christina Wagner (Cicero, N.Y.), junior Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) and sophomore Holly Beckinsale (Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland), leading to a corner, during which senior Karli Penrod (Laurel, Del.) sent a shot just wide. Despite the consistent UMass Lowell attack, it was the Big Green that was able to break open the scoring in the 42^nd minute, when Ruby Walsh finished a rebound on a breakaway.

In the 50^th minute, the River Hawks had another strong corner opportunity, this time with a powerful shot from senior Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium) being kicked away. Seconds later, senior Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands) was breaking back into the circle and launched a high attempt, but the keeper was able to bat it away. The River Hawks continued to battle and in the 56^th minute, the home team threatened on a corner with a hard shot on target by Pistilli and a putback from Van Hemelen that went just wide.

The River Hawks play their regular-season home finale on Friday, October 23 at 3 p.m. against Maine. Admission to all home contests is free all season thanks to Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.