Women’s Soccer Earns Gritty 1-1 Draw at Maine

Sunday, September 27

Orono, Me.

12PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

3-4-3, 0-0-2

Maine

4-3-3, 1-0-1

Team	1	2	Final F
UMass Lowell	1	0	1
Maine	1	0	1

Women’s Soccer Earns Gritty 1-1 Draw at Maine

9/27/2026 2:36:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

ORONO, Maine – UMass Lowell women's soccer (3-4-3, 0-0-2 AE) opened America East Conference play with two straight road matches against the top two teams in the preseason poll. After a 1-1 draw at Maine (4-3-3, 1-0-1 AE) on Sunday, the River Hawks snagged a point from each match.

"We played here against a team that was picked No. 1 in the conference and rightfully so, as they won the league in the last three years," said Head Coach Mira Novak. "After conceding early and equalizing, I felt like we left a little bit on the table. However, a lot of credit goes to the team for fighting really hard."

Sophomore Nina Hertz-Saebbö (Gothenburg, Sweden) continued her brilliant run, scoring her conference-leading sixth goal in seven matches played this season. With UMass Lowell staring down an early deficit, she struck a shot into the top right corner to equalize at the 15-minute mark.

The forward has scored in three straight matches, becoming the first River Hawk since Nora Belin (Stockholm, Sweden) in October 2025 to accomplish the feat. In this match, Belin paced both sides with four total shots.

In goal, junior Rachel Welch (Franklin, Mass.) made six saves to secure the point. She held Maine in check, despite a few strong chances down the stretch.

Maine wasted no time getting on the board, with Luise Reinwald scoring in the first ten minutes of the match. In the ensuing minutes, the Black Bears continued applying pressure, forcing Welch to make two saves.

However, Hertz-Saebbö took little time to tie it back up, notching the equalizer at 14 minutes. She fought off a defender before beating Olivia Grisdale, the reigning America East Goalkeeper of the Week, to score the goal.

Just a few minutes later, Hertz-Saebbö nearly scored again after Belin set her up with a nice pass. Freshmen Ines Pietikainen (Espoo, Finland) and Märta Sundberg (Stockholm, Sweden) rattled off strong shots late in the first half.

The Black Bears put together a few strong chances to score late in the half, but Welch kept them at bay, and the teams went into halftime knotted up 1-1.

Early in the first half, both teams traded strong offensive pushes, with the River Hawks earning a corner in the first five minutes. Yet another save from Welch helped fend off the Maine offense.

A UMass Lowell corner kick at the 61-minute mark led to a review as Belin was knocked down in the box, but no penalty kick was awarded. The River Hawks controlled possession for much of the second half, keeping the ball largely in the attacking third.

With around 17 minutes left, Maine made a push to score, but the UMass Lowell defense held strong. The River Hawks nearly scored the go-ahead goal late, as Belin had a shot saved by Grisdale. Belin fired off another strong shot late, which was blocked.

Maine punched back with a free kick opportunity at 88 minutes, but its shot sailed high over the goal. Neither team could break the stalemate, ending the match in a draw.

Up next, the River Hawks play their America East home opener on Thursday, October 1, against Vermont. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and admission is free, courtesy of Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.