Late Goal Sinks #18 Women's Soccer at Lowell, 2-1
LOWELL, MA – The #18 Merrimack women's soccer team suffered a 2-1 loss at UMass Lowell Wednesday evening. The Warriors dip to 11-2-0 overall and 9-2-0 in Northeast-10 Conference matches. The River Hawks rise to 8-2-2 on the year and 7-1-2 in the league with the win.
Jessica Peacock (Hopedale, MA) gave Merrimack an early one-goal advantage in the 10th minute. Peacock headed in a corner kick from Jamie Alnwick (Groton, MA) for her first tally of the year.
The Warriors clasped to the 1-0 lead at the half. Lowell held a 12-2 margin in shots through 45 minutes of action.
The home team leveled the contest at a goal each in the opening moments of the second stanza. Taylor Hartmann found the back of the net from the top right elbow of the penalty box in the 48th minute. Jenna Costa picked up an assist on Hartmann's first goal of the season.
After a failed clearing attempt in the Merrimack defensive end, the River Hawks capitalized on the error and netted the go-ahead goal with just over a minute remaining in the game. Brittany Russo fed Keanna Santos, who buried her fourth marker of the year to reward Lowell with a 2-1 lead.
The hosts finished the contest with 21 shots on the night while the Warriors mustered five in the match. The River Hawks owned a 4-3 gap in corner kicks earned in the contest.
Kiley Horne (Scituate, MA) registered 12 saves between the posts for Merrimack.
"We started out strong in the first half. Scoring a quick goal gave us some momentum and put pressure on them early," said head coach Gabe Mejail. "We came out flat in the second half and that allowed them to tie it. We need to maintain our focus throughout the entire game."
The Warriors return home following the three-game road swing to challenge #7 Saint Rose October 15 at 12 pm.
