DURHAM, N.H. – Senior Grace Lydon (Rowley, Mass.) tallied five points, as the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team (6-8, 2-3 AE) used a dominant second-half defensive effort to take down the New Hampshire Wildcats (4-10, 0-5 AE), 15-12, on Saturday afternoon.

"Another nail-biter," said Head Coach Lisa Miller. "New Hampshire gave us everything they had. Nice to see our attack generate 40 shots and the defensive group, including Lauren, settle in and limit opportunities and make plays in the second half. We are chipping away. On to Vermont."

Lydon, who finished with four goals and an assist, was one of seven River Hawks to record a point in the contest. Freshman Brienne Brezynskie (Elmira, Ontario) finished tied with Lydon with four goals and an assist as well, while senior Macy Shultz (Adams, N.Y.) added three goals and an assist. Rounding things out, redshirt freshman Chiara Pompei (Catonsville, Md.) tallied a pair of goals, junior Bronwyn Hilbert (Lancaster, Pa.) added a pair of assists, and junior Marlee Green (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and sophomore Georgia Ruscitti (Toronto, Ontario) each scored a goal. In net, freshman Lauren Lorentzen (Carlsbad, Calif.) made five saves in the start.

Despite the Wildcats registering the first two goals of the game in just over three minutes, the River Hawks answered right back, as Hilbert found Shultz open right in front of the net, setting the senior up for an easy score despite being down a woman. The hosts responded with one more seconds later, but Brezynskie and Pompei tallied back-to-back goals, evening the score at 3-3 with 7:42 on the clock. Although New Hampshire went on a four-goal run, Shultz and Brezynskie each added a second goal in the final minutes of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 7-5 after one.

With the offense picking up where it left off, UMass Lowell started the second quarter on fire, as Ruscitti scored her first goal of the game with 12:57 on the clock before Brezynskie completed her hat trick three minutes later, knotting the game up at 7-7. Still going strong, the River Hawks' defense continued to keep the opposition off the board, while Green found the back of the net with 6:46 to play, giving her squad their first lead of the day, 8-7. The Wildcats refused to back down, though, scoring the next three to take a 10-8 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the visitors went straight to work, as Pompei tallied her second goal of the afternoon off an assist from Shultz to make it a one-goal game. New Hampshire, looking to stretch its lead, added two in a row to jump back in front by three, 12-9. UMass Lowell's defense locked in, though, not allowing a goal for the final 26 minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Lydon caught fire, scoring twice in the final minutes of the third to make it 12-11 with 15 minutes to play.

In the fourth, Lydon continued to dominate, scoring two more, making it four straight goals by the senior, to put her team in front, 13-12. In the final minutes, the defense continued to stand strong, while Brezynskie and Shultz each added one more goal, sealing the 15-12 victory.

Next up, the River Hawks return home for the final game of the regular season when they host the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday, April 25. Opening draw is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Cushing Field.