River Hawks Fall, 3-2, in High-Scoring Match against Fairfield

Sunday, August 16

Lowell, Mass.

7PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

0-1-1, 0-0-0

Fairfield

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Fairfield	1	2	3
UMass Lowell	1	1	2

River Hawks Fall, 3-2, in High-Scoring Match against Fairfield

8/16/2026 10:49:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer team fell, 3-2, in the home opener against Fairfield. Goals from Nina Hertz-Saebbö (Gothenburg, Sweden) and Marissa Sage (Milford, N.H.) led the River Hawks against a Stags (1-1-0) offense that was ranked top 10 in the nation last season.

"I'm pleased with the application of how we want to play throughout the game, but we haven't been able to put together a 90-minute performance yet," said Head Coach Mira Novak. "I see individual improvements across the board, but winning a game against an opponent like Fairfield requires more."

While the River Hawks (0-1-1) had a 2-1 lead early in the second half, Fairfield came back and won it with a late goal. Ella Pisani scored two goals for Fairfield.

"I felt that in the first part of the first half, we were in control and doing things the way we wanted," Novak said. "In the second half, we had a great start and put ourselves in position to win the game, but we just got under it. I felt our defending around the box wasn't up to standard, and after conceding some big moments towards the end of the game we found ourselves a goal down."

Hertz-Saebbö dropped a goal into the left corner in the first half off assists from Nora Belin (Stockholm, Sweden) and Sage. She's the first River Hawk to score in consecutive matches since Belin did last October.

Sage starred in the midfield, setting the table for the River Hawks' (0-1-1) first goal before notching one of her own in the second half. The senior scored her third career goal in the match.

Fairfield started the match threatening on offense, forcing Rachel Welch (Franklin, Mass.) to make a save around the 13-minute mark. However, the River Hawks' offense started clicking midway through the half.

Sage started a breakaway by pushing the ball across midfield, dishing it to Belin. Belin dropped an arcing pass down to Hertz-Saebbö, who booted it into the left corner of the goal to put UMass Lowell up 1-0.

Both squads went back-and-forth for much of the first half, with Fairfield leading the period in shots 10-3. The Stags equalized very late in the first half, with Pisani making it 1-1 right before both teams headed into the locker room.

At the 58-minute mark, Sage started another scoring play. After swinging it out to Hertz-Saebbö, a cross ricocheted off a Fairfield defender before Sage perfectly placed it into the left side.

Following Sage's goal, the Stags put the pressure on with seven shots in around 10 minutes. Fairfield equalized yet again, with Ashlyn Walsh scoring to make it 2-2.

Around the 72-minute mark, the River Hawks threatened, with Luka Marceau (Newton, Mass.) and Sage firing off shots, but Fairfield goalkeeper Alyssa Gluting handled it. The Stags pulled ahead with under 10 minutes left, as Pisani netted her second goal of the match.

Up next, UMass Lowell hits the road to play a Dartmouth squad that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season. Kickoff in Hanover, N.H. will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 20. The River Hawks return home on Sunday for a 6 p.m. kick against Merrimack. As a reminder, all home games are free admission courtesy of Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.