Northeastern field hockey (4-6, 0-1 CAA) was ready to bounce back against University of Massachusetts at Lowell (4-5, 0-1 AE) after a 3-2 overtime loss Sept. 22. The Huskies overtook the River Hawks in an astonishing 6-3 victory Sept. 29 at Dedham Field, with graduate student midfielder Lauren Rowe notching half of Northeastern’s goals. 

Wasting no time from the starting whistle, UMass Lowell scored their first goal off of a penalty corner in the second minute of gameplay. River Hawk graduate student back defender Alissia de Vries and graduate student midfielder Lisa Hagel assisted sophomore midfielder Florine Gerrits to score the first goal of the game. Hagel brought the corner hit to de Vries, who then fired the ball from the top of the circle. Gerrits was able to tip the ball right into the cage.

Northeastern was not deterred by the River Hawks’ hot start.

The Huskies leveled the scoreboard three minutes later when Rowe landed a shot in the top left of the cage off of junior forward Emilia Adragna’s rebound — her first goal of the game to even up the score 1-1. Eager to secure their lead, the Huskies relentlessly followed up with more offensive opportunities, and Rowe found the back of the net again in the eighth minute of the contest. During a penalty corner play, graduate student midfielder Mak Graves shot the ball from the top of the circle and Rowe guided the ball past River Hawk graduate student goalkeeper Christina Calandra, putting Northeastern ahead 2-1 entering the second quarter.

Despite the goal rate slowing down, the action remained physical and competitive on both sides of the field. In the 18th minute, Graves faced a green card penalty. Soon after, both teams earned corner penalties but came out without scoring. In the 23rd minute of play, both Gerrits from the River Hawks and the Huskies’ Graves were both given green card penalties. 

Northeastern continued playing dynamically, maintaining steady possession and finding pockets of offensive opportunities. Rowe continued to lead the charge for the Huskies through the second quarter.

In the 28th minute of gameplay, Rowe scored her third goal of the game into the back of the cage off a corner penalty with assists from sophomore forward Alex Mega and graduate student midfielder Caroline Sweeney. Sweeney brought the corner in to Mega, who transferred the ball to Rowe. Not satisfied yet, the Huskies regained possession in the middle of the field and applied pressure in the River Hawks’ circle. The Huskies earned another corner just 29 seconds after the first, giving the team the chance to score their fourth goal. Sweeney brought the corner in, allowing Rowe to shoot the ball which bounced off the goalpost and back into Sweeney’s possession. Sweeney was then able to score the second goal of the 28th minute into the back of the cage, giving the Huskies a comfortable 4-1 lead at the half.

Despite the score deficit, UMass didn’t lose all hope entering the second half, coming back out with a new attack. Beginning the third quarter, the River Hawks landed three corner penalties — and the third time was the charm. In the third consecutive corner, junior forward Madison Leeper scored a goal with assists from Gerrits and graduate student forward Mirthe Gans. Leeper was able to send the ball to the back of the cage after Gerrits and Gans performed quick work bringing in the corner and getting the ball to Leeper.

Still feeling comfortable with a two-goal lead, Husky freshman goalkeeper Laine Cabell entered the field for her collegiate debut in the 37th minute of play — clocking seven minutes in the cage.

The rest of the third quarter saw aggressive, back-and-forth gameplay with shots made from each team, though none were successful. Holding strong defensively for the remainder of the third quarter, the Huskies maintained their 4-2 lead.

At the start of the fourth quarter, senior goalkeeper Kristi Merashoff was back in the cage. The River Hawks and Huskies both earned corner penalties with looks on goal, but neither team found the back of the net right off the bat.

Desperate for more offensive opportunities, the River Hawks pulled their goalie out of the cage in the 54th minute — and the Huskies quickly responded. In the 55th minute, Rowe was able to hit a longshot to Mega, who then brought the ball into the circle and tapped it into the net, increasing the Huskies’ lead to 5-2.

A mere 13 seconds later, the River Hawks proved their fighting spirit once again with a goal from sophomore forward Karli Penrod in the 56th minute with an assist from freshman midfielder Karlijn Kerkhof. They swiftly brought the ball down the field after the Huskies’ goal and pressed straight into the circle. With the score sitting at 5-3, Penrod took another shot in the 57th minute but was unsuccessful in her attempt.

With the game clock running out, the players across the field continued pushing hard. The Huskies scored the ninth and final goal of the game in the 58th minute of the contest. Without an assist, junior midfielder Emmy Stubbs landed her shot in the back of the cage, solidifying Northeastern’s valiant lead, 6-3. 

By the final buzzer, the Huskies tallied doubled the River Hawks in goals scored — outshooting UMass Lowell 14 to 11. 

The River Hawks put up a strong effort against the Huskies in this high scoring game, doubling Northeastern in corner penalties with 10.  Both teams played a clean game, with no notable fouls on either end.

Leading the charge for Northeastern was Rowe, tallying half of Northeastern’s goals and proving herself indispensable on the pitch. 

Northeastern will play one more game in their homestand against William & Mary (0-10, 0-1 CAA) at Dedham Field for their annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.