LOWELL, Mass. (September 13, 2024) – Junior Madison Leeper scored twice and sophomore Marie Oliemans made them stand with two second half saves to preserve the shutout and a 2-0 victory for the University of Massachusetts Lowell, ranked No. 20 in this week's Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll, over Stonehill College in a non-conference field hockey matchup at Cushing Field Complex this evening.
Highlights
- Leeper tripled her scoring output for the season with her two goals on the night giving her three markers for the season.
- Oliemans and postgrad Christina Calandra split the shutout in goal for UMass Lowell. Oliemans made two second half saves to preserve the River Hawks lead after Calandra was untested in the first half.
- Senior Jillian Loebs and postgrad Mirthe Gans dished assists for the River Hawks.
- Senior Shannon Conte finished with seven saves in goal for Stonehill.
How It Happened
- UMass Lowell broke through with just 68 seconds to play in the opening quarter when Leeper tipped in a ball off the stick of Loebs for her first goal of the night.
- Conte made three of her seven stops over the middle two quarters before Leeper provided an insurance marker with just a minute to play in the third quarter off a pass from Gans.
- Stonehill gained a pair of corners in the fourth quarter and had all four of its shots in the second half as it looked to break up the shutout, but Oliemans was up to the task of finishing out the shutout.
Noteworthy
- Tonight marked the first meeting at the Division I level between the two longtime Northeast-10 Conference rivals with the first matchup between the teams since 2012.
Up Next
Stonehill (1-4, 0-0 NEC) is off until next Friday when it visits Bryant University for a non-conference clash in Rhode Island at 3 p.m. The Skyhawks home opener is scheduled for Friday, October 4, when they host Rider University for a Northeast Conference matchup at W.B. Mason Stadium at 3 p.m. UMass Lowell (3-2, 0-0 America East) visits UMass on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and check out its all-new website, powered by Sidearm Sports, at stonehillskyhawks.com.
