River Hawks Ignite Offensively in Second Half for 3-1 Win at UC Davis

DAVIS, Calif. – Three different second-half goal scorers led the way for the UMass Lowell field hockey team (1-1) in a 3-1 victory at UC Davis (1-1) on Sunday to close out opening weekend.

"I loved our compete level today," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We made some changes based on review of our performance on Friday and dialed into our strengths. Our team had great synergy today and it showed in the result. I was really impressed with how we finished off a long travel weekend. Our preseason training in the heat definitely paid off in today's game at Davis. I love that we had four different goal scorers this weekend. It shows that we can be a scoring threat from all three of our lines."

The River Hawks controlled the momentum throughout the contest with a 12-4 shot on goal advantage and a 4-0 edge on corners. Senior Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium), junior Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) and sophomore Rena Pistilli (Lambaré, Paraguay) each tallied one goal in the outing, while senior Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands) and sophomore Frédèrique van den Dungen (Rosmalen, Netherlands) added two assists apiece. Sophomore goalkeepers Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) and Megan MacMiller (Tarzana, Calif.) logged one save each, as well.

Play was contained to the middle of the field for almost 10 minutes to open the contest until the Aggies notched the first attempt on goal of the day, but Mous was able to make the stop. The River Hawks answered with the next three shots in a row, all from Van Hemelen, including two on target, although the game would remain scoreless through the first quarter.

In the 19^th minute, freshman Mae Kemps (Vught, Netherlands) put a good attempt on goal, but it was batted away by the Aggies' keeper, as the 0-0 stalemate remained in place heading into the break.

The River Hawks turned up the offensive pressure coming out of halftime, registering three consecutive shots on target before forcing a corner in the 34^th minute. Later in the 43^rd minute, the visitors earned yet another corner, this time converting on the opportunity thanks to a goal from Carter, giving the River Hawks a 1-0 edge.

UMass Lowell extended its lead to 2-0 on another corner in the 52^nd minute, this time with the goal coming off the stick of Pistilli. The Aggies were able to cut the difference in half less than a minute later, but Van Hemelen made the score 3-1 inside of the last five minutes of action, securing the win.

The River Hawks head back to the East Coast to take on Harvard on Friday, September 4. That match is slated to begin at 4 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.

River Hawks Ignite Offensively in Second Half for 3-1 Win at UC Davis

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Audrey Carter

Florine Gerrits

Mae Kemps

Megan MacMiller

Veerle Mous

Rena Pistilli

Alice Van Hemelen

Footer