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Field hockey falls 3-1 in Kennedy Cup against UMass

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell field hockey team (2-4) dropped a 3-1 decision on Sunday afternoon, as the visiting University of Massachusetts (2-4) reclaimed the Kennedy Cup with the victory at Wicked Blue Field in Lowell.

“I thought today’s game was really competitive,” said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. “We competed hard for 70 minutes and had some chances, so overall, I’m happy with the performance from the team. There were a couple opportunities that could have swayed the game a little bit, but I think that’s just a sign of a young team. I know we’ll get there, we just have to be patient. We’ll continue to work on the little things that are getting better with every game tomorrow in practice and hopefully be better on Tuesday.”

The Kennedy Cup, sponsored by a friend of both the UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst programs, John Kennedy, is awarded annually to the winner of the contest between the two squads.

Sophomore Annie Villare (Chelmsford, Mass.) recorded the River Hawks’ lone goal in the decision, while senior captain Chelsea Chronopoulos (Tyngsborough, Mass.) paced the squad with two shots. Freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Federico (Windham, N.H.) anchored the River Hawks’ backfield with a career-high 11 saves in the outing.

The teams played evenly matched in the early minutes of the contest, trading possession and forcing one corner apiece in the first five minutes. During the River Hawks’ opportunity, sophomore Georgia Cowderoy (Ashmore, Queensland, Australia) fired just wide of the left post for the team’s first chance of the day.

The Minutewomen broke the game open on their next penalty corner with 23 minutes remaining in the first half, as Lauren Allymohamed deflected Brooke Sabia’s initial shot up over a diving Federico and into the cage to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

UMass Lowell retaliated with three consecutive corners, but the home squad was unable to convert. With seven minutes to go in the first half, the River Hawks threatened with back-to-back shots on goal by senior Bianca Jones (Watertown, Mass.) and freshman Katie Luchino (Freehold, N.J.), however, the opposing keeper kicked both away.

Massachusetts extended its margin to 2-0 with less than five minutes to go when Sabia found the back of the cage on a direct corner.

The River Hawks battled in the final minutes of the period and cut the difference to just two heading into the break when Villare collected and finished a loose ball that had bounced off of the keeper’s pads following a cross by Chronopoulos.

The Minutewomen attacked their offensive zone coming out of halftime with three shots on goal and three corners in the first eight minutes. Although Federico stopped the first three attempts, Massachusetts continued to pressure and made the score 3-1 on a hard shot by Sarah Hawkshaw.

Freshman Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) and Chronopoulos both recorded chances that sailed wide before the clock expired and the visitors sealed the 3-1 decision.

Sunday’s contest marked just the second meeting between UMass Lowell and Massachusetts in the sport of field hockey. The Minutewomen now lead the all-time series, 2-0. The River Hawks will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 16 when the squad travels to Quinnipiac Unviersity for a 3:30 p.m. tilt.

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