Lowell, Mass. – The UMBC women's soccer team's four-game unbeaten streak ended on a crisp Sunday afternoon when it fell 2-0 to America East rival UMass Lowell River Hawks at Cushing Field.
UMBC junior goalkeeper
Amara Codd made several impressive diving saves in the opening minutes, keeping the Retrievers in contention and frustrating the River Hawks' early attacks. However, UMass Lowell eventually broke through late in the first half, scoring the decisive goal.
Just four minutes into the match, Nora Belin unleashed a powerful shot from the right side of the penalty box, but Codd responded with a spectacular full-stretch dive to her left, pushing the ball away from danger.
Three minutes later, the Retrievers (9-4-3, 3-2-1) created a promising opportunity when sophomore defender
Cami Mink lofted a high cross deep into the UMass Lowell box. Senior forward
Payton Schenning rose above the defenders to head the ball toward goal, sparking a scramble on the goal line. Despite the chaos in front of the net, UMBC couldn't find the finishing touch to convert the chance.
In the 12th minute, the hosts nearly benefited from an own goal when a deflected ball off a Retriever defender seemed destined for the net, but Codd again came to the rescue with a quick-reaction diving save to her left.
UMBC's best scoring chance of the first half came in the 17th minute, following a corner kick from Schenning. Her low, driven ball found junior defender
Gabby Larson on the right side of the box. Larson's close-range effort from seven yards rattled the crossbar, coming agonizingly close to putting the Retrievers ahead.
UMass Lowell (4-5-4, 1-1-3) broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. Nina Hertz-Saebbo delivered a beautiful pass from the 30-yard line, arching deep into the left side of the box. Nora Belin timed her run perfectly and met the ball with a precise header, guiding it into the lower right corner of the net for the game's opening goal.
The River Hawks doubled their lead in the 61
st minute, as Belin struck again. Nuala Rodgers started the play with a right-wing cross to Elsa Freeman, who quickly redirected it into Belin's path on the right side of the box. Belin took a composed touch before slotting a low shot past Codd into the far corner to seal the victory for UMass Lowell.
Despite the loss, UMBC outshot UMass Lowell 13-10 and earned six corner kicks to the River Hawks' one.
The Retrievers will look to bounce back as they travel to Bryant next Sunday, aiming to secure an America East playoff berth in their crucial upcoming matchup.
