(Photo courtesy of UML Athletics) “River Hawks players celebrate”
Shaan Baid
Connector Editor
The River Hawks enjoyed Halloween with a 1-0 win against Bryant on Thursday night. Graduate student Marissa Saucedo came up huge for the winners by scoring the game-winning goal at the 84:33 mark. UMass Lowell improves to 5-9-3 with the win.
Defensively, graduate student Taylor Burgess recorded a career-high 12 safe to contribute to the shutout. Despite Bryant outshooting UML (18-10), the River Hawks stood tall on the defensive end.
Before the game, UMass Lowell honored its seniors and graduate students for their hard work and dedication to the program. With the victory, the River Hawks clinched the No. 4 seed and a home quarterfinal match to start the 2024 America East Championship on Nov. 3.
There was a lot of back-and-forth during the first several minutes of the game, as both teams struggled to maintain possession and cash in on scoring opportunities.
The River Hawks were the aggressors early in the game, putting pressure on the Bulldogs. First, senior Lærke Niklasson had a good look at the net, but the fingertips of the keeper barely saved it. Sophomore Marissa Sage would follow with a bullet that missed wide left of the goalpost.
In the 23rd minute, senior Laura Cetina hustled on defense and threw her body in front of the ball to stop a dangerous shot.
In the 27th minute, Brookshire attempted to score as she fired a bullet, but it sailed over the net.
At the half, neither team could put points on the board, resulting in a tie at the end of the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, senior Hope Santaniello dropped a dime to Cetina, who took a shot on net, but it was caught by Bryant’s keeper in the 66th minute.
Next, junior Megan Banzi attempted to break the tie, firing a shot towards the goal, but just missed right of the post in the 73rd minute. At the 79th-minute mark, Santaniello was able to break free from the Bryant defenders and took a shot at the net, which flew right over the goal.
With the River Hawks looking to score with time left on the clock, freshman Gaby Eckroth was able to recover a loose ball that ricocheted off the defender, dishing a pass to Saucedo, who fired the ball past the keeper during the 85th minute to give the River Hawks the late 1-0 lead. This sealed the deal for the River Hawks.
Head Coach Mira Novak was proud of the resilience displayed by his squad. “We were under a lot of pressure, I think Bryant played a great game,” said Novak. “I give credit to our team today for pushing through and finding a way to win. One moment decided the game and today we were the lucky ones. I’m really happy for the team on Senior Day to finish on a win and clinch a home game for playoffs.”
With the win, the River Hawks are headed to the America East Quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 3, with a rematch against Bryant, which takes place at 3 p.m. at Cushing Field.
