LOWELL (Nov. 2, 2010) – The No. 2 River Hawks clinched at least a share of the 2010 Northeast-10 Conference Regular Season Title with a 5-1 win over the Adelphi Panthers in field hockey conference action at home on Cushing Field Saturday afternoon. Senior Katie Enaire (Amesbury, Mass.) recorded a hat trick in the victory, making her the second all-time leading scorer in program history.
A four-goal first half set the tone for the UMass Lowell victory, their 19th straight. The squad improved to 19-0 overall with a 9-0 mark in NE-10 play, entering the final contest of the season. The Panthers fell to 11-7 overall with a 6-3 conference record.
In the first frame, Enaire tallied the first two goals of the game, while NE-10 Player of the Week Sammy Macy (Tewksbury, Mass.) and freshman Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.) helped with insurance tallies later in the stanza.
Enaire opened scoring just over four minutes into the contest, capitalizing on a penalty corner. The initial shot was taken and classmate Liz Day (North Andover, Mass.) grabbed the rebound, finding Enaire to put the River Hawks up 1-0.
The senior scored again in the 13th minute of play, notching her 23rd goal of the year, the eventual game-winner. Once again scoring on a penalty corner, Day passed the ball from the top of the circle to junior defender Annie Hansbury (Plaistow, N.H.), who blasted the ball from the left side of the circle before Enaire tipped it in to double the UMass Lowell lead.
Classmate and fellow forward Macy added a goal, her 24th of the year, in the 23rd minute of play. Junior Abby Auld (Waltham, Mass.) hit a hard shot just to the left of the cage, where Macy was ready to deflect the ball to the back of the cage with a backdoor tip-in.
Before the clock wound down, the River Hawks earned their seventh corner of the half with just over 30 seconds remaining in the frame. Sophomore Sarah Wilcox (Old Town, Maine) took a shot McCarthy was able to collect right in front of the cage to finish it for a goal to put the River Hawks up 4-0 before the break.
In the second, Adelphi broke through the River Hawk defense in the 43rd minute of play, as Crystal Gray received a pass from Jeanette Heimerle after a penalty corner. Heimerle was on the side of the cage and passed to Gray in the front to bring the Panthers within three.
Enaire completed her hat trick with a late-game goal, while Hansbury collected her second assist of the day. With just 37 seconds remaining in the tilt, the River Hawks were able to take advantage of yet another penalty corner, as Hansbury received a pass from the top of the circle to the far side perimeter and passed it into traffic to find Enaire front and center for a blast to the back of the cage. The 5-1 score would prevail through the end of the game.
The River Hawks outshot their opponent 29-10 on the afternoon, while Adelphi’s Lucia Vigliotti played the first 26:41, allowing three goals and making two saves. She earned the loss, before being relieved by Kristine Puzio for the final 43:19. Puzio allowed two goals and made seven stops on the day. UMass Lowell’s Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.), the NE-10 Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Week, allowed just one goal and made three saves in the game.
The UMass Lowell defensive corps helped the River Hawks to allow just seven penalty corners, earning 18 of their own. Four of the five UMass Lowell goals on the afternoon were direct results of penalty corners.
Following today’s victory, the River Hawks will take on Saint Anselm for a 7:00 p.m. tilt on Wednesday evening at home on Cushing Field. The conference game is the squad’s last regular season game before the postseason begins. Prior to the game, the River Hawks will celebrate the Class of 2011 with a brief Senior Night Ceremony.
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