River Hawks Top Maine, 4-1, in Regular-Season Home Finale

Friday, October 23

Lowell, Mass.

3PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(9-7, 3-1)

Maine

(7-8, 2-2)

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

10/23/2026 7:07:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Highlights

LOWELL, Mass. – Four different River Hawks scored in a 4-1 victory for the UMass Lowell field hockey team (9-7, 3-1 AE) against America East foe Maine (7-8, 2-2 AE) in the 2026 regular-season home finale at Wicked Blue Field on Friday afternoon.

"We are incredibly happy with our performance today," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "The team was dialed in today. We controlled possession, we attacked with numbers, we had four different goal scorers and we defended well. Our organization and our tempo of play was exactly what we had been working towards. The team is playing their best hockey right now and looking forward to playing for a regular-season championship on Thursday."

Seniors Karli Penrod (Laurel, Del.) and Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium), sophomore Rena Pistilli (Lambaré, Paraguay) and freshman Mae Kemps (Vught, Netherlands) all scored one goal in the contest. Junior Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) chipped in with two assists, as well. As a team, the River Hawks took a 15-1 edge in shots on goal with sophomore Megan MacMiller (Tarzana, Calif.) coming up with one save in the second half.

Although the Black Bears earned the first corner of the contest, the River Hawks quickly fended it off and took control of possession, as senior Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands) and Van Hemelen combined for three chances on target in the first eight minutes, including a putback on a corner by Gerrits that took a defensive save from Maine's Louisa Plaehn to stop. The pressure paid off when the home team earned a penalty stroke in the 11^th minute and converted off the stick of Pistilli to jump out to a 1-0 edge.

The River Hawks kept play in their offensive end in the second quarter, allowing the team to stretch the lead to 2-0 in the 21^st minute when Carter fought to get the ball into the circle and ahead to Penrod, who popped it up and over the laid out keeper. The home side then successfully thwarted another Maine corner later in the quarter to take its two-goal advantage into the break.

The River Hawks carried their attack into the second half, putting four shots on target in the third quarter. In the 47^th minute, Kemps got a final touch on a ball from Carter to extend the difference to 3-0. The Black Bears responded with a corner goal from Martha Barratt three minutes later, but Van Hemelen put the game away with a reverse stick strike in the 58^th minute, securing the 4-1 league victory.

The River Hawks will conclude the regular season at UAlbany on Thursday, October 29 at 2 p.m.