River Hawks Top Merrimack, 3-0, in Soggy Sunday Clash

Sunday, September 13

Lowell, Mass.

1PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(3-3)

Merrimack

(0-5)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Merrimack	0	0	0	0	0
UMass Lowell	1	1	0	1	3

River Hawks Top Merrimack, 3-0, in Soggy Sunday Clash

9/13/2026 3:02:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Highlights

LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Alexa Guarneri (Hockessin, Del.) extended her goal-scoring streak to three games, helping to lift the UMass Lowell field hockey team (3-3) to a 3-0 victory against Merrimack (0-5) on Sunday afternoon.

"We are happy to finish off a shutout weekend," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "The conditions weren't ideal, but we worked through them and really did a tremendous job of possessing the ball. We attacked with numbers and created a lot of opportunities, however, kudos to Merrimack's defense because they really made it difficult for us to put the ball in the net."

For the fourth consecutive season, the River Hawks shut out the Warriors in their annual meeting. The River Hawks dominated possession with a 21-1 advantage in shots on goals in the contests and a 15-0 edge on corners.

Guarneri was one of three goal scorers on the day, as junior Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) and sophomore Helena Herlocher (State College, Pa.) each added one tally, as well. Sophomore goalkeeper Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) recorded one save in the victory.

The River Hawks went right to work on their offensive end, registering six shots on cage in the early minutes, but the game would remain scoreless with the help of three defensive saves from the Warriors' Darla Mahoney. The home side did not back down, though, breaking open the scoring when quick passes near the endline from sophomore Brynn Somers (Berlin, N.J.) and junior Jaedyn Scarlatos (South Setauket, N.Y.) got the ball to Carter for the shot through traffic to make it 1-0 in the 14^th minute.

Mous was tested for the first time in the 18^th minute, but handled it swiftly. Senior Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) sent a shot into opposing keeper's pads one minute later. Then in the 27^th minute, Herlocher cleaned up a rebound, slipping a put-back attempt just inside the near corner and stretching the difference to 2-0 at the break.

Coming out of halftime, the River Hawks continued to control the momentum, putting five shots on goal and earning five corners in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the home side added one final insurance goal, as senior Christina Wagner (Cicero, N.Y.) dribbled to the endline before sending a pass back towards the front of the cage for a one-timer from Guarneri to seal the 3-0 win.

Next up, the River Hawks head to No. 15 Syracuse for a 4 p.m. tilt on Friday, September 18.