LOWELL, Mass. – Looking to pick up a big win in conference play, the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (4-8, 0-3 AE) returns home to host the UMBC Retrievers (6-5, 1-2 AE) on Saturday, April 11. Opening draw control is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Cushing Field in Lowell, Mass.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior
Kaitlynn Anderson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored a career-high four goals, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team fell on the road to the Binghamton Bearcats, 18-7, on Saturday afternoon. Anderson, who has scored in three of her seven appearances this season, was one of five River Hawks to record at least one point in the contest. Senior
Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) finished with a team-high five points off two goals and an assist. Sophomore
Georgia Ruscitti (Toronto, Ontario) added a goal and an assist, while senior
Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) and junior
Bronwyn Hilbert (Lancaster, Pa.) each added an assist.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 12 games, Shultz paces the squad with 32 points and 16 assists, while Hilbert sits right behind her with 30 points off 18 goals and 12 assists. Ranking third on the team, junior
Chloe Bowers (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) posts a team-best 25 goals alongside one assist for 26 points, while Lydon is tied with her in total points. Leading the squad on the draw, senior
Rachel Stax (Milton, Ga.) totals 32 draw controls, while sophomore
Madison Carter (Baltimore, Md.) leads the defense with 14 caused turnovers. In net, junior
Alexa Kuhn (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and freshman
Lauren Lorentzen (Carlsbad, Calif.) each have made six starts, with Kuhn posting a team-best 56 saves.
100 POINT CLUB
After recording a hat trick in the team's conference opener at UAlbany, Lydon reached the 100-point milestone for her career, becoming only the eight River Hawk to ever reach the mark, joining current teammates senior
Audra Hansen (Stamford, Ct.) and Bowers.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
In the first-ever match against Furman, the River Hawks' offense reached a new level, scoring 20 goals and a program-record 15 assists, surpassing the previous record of 12 set back in the 2017 season. Individually, Bowers finished with seven goals, the second-most goals and points in a game in program history, while Shultz added seven points as well with six assists, tying the single-game program record set by now assistant coach
Megan Brockbank when she also finished with six assists and a goal against New Hampshire during the 2021 campaign.
WEEKLY WINNERS
After a pair of excellent performances in week one, Kuhn was named the America East Goalkeeper of the Week while freshman
Brienne Brezynskie (Elmira, Ontario) was tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Week. Against the Jaspers, Kuhn started her season strong in net, allowing only six goals while making 11 saves on 28 shots faced, good for a .647 save percentage and her 17
th career double-digit save performance. Meanwhile, Brezynskie left her mark in her first collegiate game, posting a hat trick, including the game-winner. Not only impressing on the offensive end, but she also filled up the box score all over the field, tallying two ground balls, two caused turnovers, and two draw controls.
SCOUTING UMBC
The Retrievers enter Saturday's contest amid a three-game skid, most recently falling to conference foe UAlbany, 14-9. Leading the way offensively is Emily Knapp, who totals 37 goals and eight assists for 45 points in 11 games, ranking first in the conference in points per game (3.36). Behind her, Reese Macintosh sits second with 39 points, while Libby Staples rounds out the top scorers with 31 points. On defense, senior Emily Renehan's 17 caused turnovers rank second on the team, and in net, Emine Luznar has started all 11 games, making 85 saves with 86 goals allowed, good for a .497 save percentage.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks and Retrievers have battled ten times, with UMBC owning a 9-1 advantage all time. The last time they faced off, UMass Lowell earned a 16-12 victory on the road, their first win in the series history, behind a nine-point performance from
Jillian Goldie (Owen Sound, Ontario), the highest single-game scoring performance in program history.