River Hawks Explode Offensively in Second Half for 4-1 Alumni Day Win vs. Stonehill

Sunday, September 20

Lowell, Mass.

1PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(4-4)

Stonehill

(1-5)

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

River Hawks Explode Offensively in Second Half for 4-1 Alumni Day Win vs. Stonehill

9/20/2026 3:30:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Highlights

LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium) recorded two goals to help lift the UMass Lowell field hockey team (4-4) to a 4-1 victory against Stonehill (1-5) on Alumni Day at Wicked Blue Field.

UMass Lowell controlled the momentum throughout the contest, taking a 12-2 advantage in shots on goal and an 8-2 edge on corners. Sophomore Alexa Guarneri (Hockessin, Del.) registered her fifth goal in the last four games to add to the offense, while classmate Rena Pistilli (Lambaré, Paraguay) rounded out the goal scorers. Sophomore goalkeeper Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) tallied a pair of saves in the decision, as well.

The River Hawks maintained possession in their offensive end for much of the opening quarter, and although junior Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) put a hard shot on target early and senior Florine Gerrits (Amstelveen, Netherlands) followed with a chance on the run late in the period, the game remained scoreless through the first 15 minutes.

In the 20^th minute, Stonehill had a chance to break open the scoring, but a one-timer from Delaney Wojnarowicz missed just wide. The River Hawks attacked on their next trip down the field, with back-to-back blasts from Van Hemelen and Carter followed by a put-back attempt from sophomore Haley Wernig (Franklin, Mass.) that trickled just outside the far post, keeping the stalemate intact. Carter had two more strong attempts in the waning minutes of the half, slapping a shot in the 24^th minute that was stopped by an outstretched keeper, and launching a ball in the final seconds that sailed just high to maintain the 0-0 draw heading into the break.

The River Hawks came out of halftime on the attack and converted on a corner less than two minutes into the third quarter, when Gerrits dished a pass over to the wing for Pistilli, who pushed a hard ball on target to give the home side a 1-0 advantage.

In the 38^th minute, Mous stepped up out of the cage to come up with a big stop against Wojnarowicz on a breakaway. However, Stonehill would score on its first corner of the day in the 46^th minute off the stick of Julieta D'Antonio to erase the difference.

UMass Lowell dug in, though, and retaliated with two goals in the 51^st minute. First, Van Hemelen dribbled all the way in through traffic on her own and lifted a ball high into the net before Guarneri controlled a loose ball and avoided the oncoming keeper with her finish to make it 3-1. Then in the 57^th minute, Van Hemelen received a pass from junior Brynn Somers (Berlin, N.J.) and charged into the circle for a reverse-stick blast, sealing the 4-1 victory.

The River Hawks are back at Wicked Blue Field next Sunday, September 27 when they host Brown for their Morgan's Message game at 1 p.m. As a reminder, home games are free all season thanks to Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.