The River Hawks opened scoring with a goal in the 10th minute of play with Enaire’s first tally of the afternoon, assisted by freshman midfielder Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.). McCarthy carried the ball up the right side of the field into the River Hawk zone, hitting a powerful pass into a crowded circle to find Enaire, who drew Stonehill goalkeeper Courtney Osier out of the cage and shot behind her to get the River Hawks on the board.
UMass Lowell doubled its lead 10 minutes later, capitalizing on a penalty corner with a goal from sophomore defender Sarah Wilcox (Old Town, Maine). Enaire passed from the top left of the circle to find Wilcox in the right corner for her second goal of the year, giving the River Hawks a two-goal lead midway through the first stanza.
The scoring tandem of Enaire and McCarthy struck again with just over three minutes remaining in the half, as McCarthy hit a high pass from the right side to Enaire on the left, tipping it in for her 30th tally of the year and a 3-0 lead for UMass Lowell.
Enaire’s goal tied the program record for goals in a season (30), previously set by classmate Sammy Macy (Tewksbury, Mass.) in both her sophomore and senior campaigns.
They held onto the three-goal advantage through the end of the half, but just 12 minutes into the second stanza, Northeast-10 Player of the Year Liz Day (North Andover, Mass.) increased UMass Lowell’s lead to four. She dribbled the ball straight up the field, sneaking by three Stonehill defenders en route to the circle, where she blasted an off-balance shot from the top right, hitting a straight shot to the back of the cage.
UMass Lowell earned its eighth corner of the game and junior defender Kayla Littig (Carver, Mass.) tapped in a pass from Enaire to convert the opportunity to the squad’s fifth tally of the afternoon.
Stonehill erased the UMass Lowell shutout, getting on the board in the 63rd minute of play, converting the Skyhawks’ fifth penalty corner of the afternoon. Senior midfielder Lindsey Pinkham netted Stonehill’s lone goal of the game.
The River Hawks owned a decisive 11-5 advantage in penalty corners and 17-5 edge in shots. UMass Lowell goalkeeper Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.) made three saves, while Stonehill’s Osier stopped six shots in the game.
With the victory, UMass Lowell advances to its fourth consecutive and sixth all-time National Championship game, to be played on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the University of Louisville’s Trager Stadium.
The River Hawks await the winner of the second semifinal game, between Shippensburg and four-time defending National Champion Bloomsburg, to determine their opponent. More information will be made available on www.GoRiverHawks.com as it becomes available.
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