LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Bronwyn Hilbert (Lancaster, Pa.) tallied a team-high four points, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (2-4) fell to the Siena Saints (5-0), 10-8, on Saturday afternoon.

"So many things done well today," said Head Coach Lisa Miller. "We played great defense, made some nice saves, and had multiple quality scoring opportunities. The coaching staff needs to reevaluate how we practice. Some of the small things continue to hold us back and I feel like we lose a bit on confidence and trust when we are under pressure. A work in progress as we gear up for conference play."

Hilbert, who scored twice and paced her team with two assists, was one of five River Hawks to record a goal in the game. Senior Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) finished with a team-leading three goals, while sophomore Georgia Ruscitti (Toronto, Ontario) added a goal and an assist. Senior Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) and junior Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) each added a goal, while senior Kaitlynn Anderson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and freshman Brienne Brezynskie (Elmira, Ontario) rounded out point scorers with an assist each. In net, junior Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) made 13 saves.

The Saints started the contest strong, scoring three times in just over six minutes to take an early 3-0 lead. The River Hawks got on the board moments later, as Bowers was awarded a free position shot, setting up the junior who fired a rocket past the keeper to make it a 3-1 game. Although the visitors scored two straight, UMass Lowell found its footing in the final minutes of the quarter, scoring two of the next three goals off the sticks of Shultz and Hilbert, cutting the deficit to 6-3 after one.

In the second quarter, both teams began with a strong focus on defense, as the game went almost ten minutes without the score changing. With 6:24 on the clock, Shultz struck again, this time off the assist from Hilbert, to make it a 6-4 game. Despite a goal by the Saints moments later, Lydon capitalized on a free position shot in the final minutes of the half to make it a two-goal game, 7-5, at the break.

Coming out of halftime, the hosts took over, as Hilbert collected a pass from Ruscitti before firing off her second goal of the afternoon, pulling her squad back within one. Four minutes later, Shultz completed the hat trick, her first of the season, knotting the score up at 7-7 midway through the third period. Siena locked down, though, not allowing a goal for the remainder of the quarter while adding one of their own to own an 8-7 advantage with 15 minutes to play.

In the final quarter, the River Hawks looked to battle back as Ruscitti added a goal, but Siena found the back of the net three times, sealing the 10-8 decision.

Next up, the River Hawks have a week off before returning to action when they head south to take on Wofford on Monday, March 9. Opening draw is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina.