STANFORD, Calif. – Suffering its sixth loss to a ranked opponent this season, Stanford fell on the road to No. 18 UMass Lowell, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Cardinal closes out the year 4-11, while the River Hawks clinched the America East regular season title with the win.
"This weekend was about us showing character," head coach Roz Ellis. "It's been a bumpy ride this year, but I think our team needed to be in this position in order to grow. Our team had to experience this {season} to know what it takes to win and how much you need to commit to every detail on and off the field in order to be a successful team."
Stanford was aggressive early and spent much of the opening half in the offensive zone, but as the game progressed, UMass Lowell turned the tide and converting on their penalty corner chances to earn the win.
Mia Clark paced the Cardinal with three shots on the day, with Maroussia Walckiers, Gemma Townsend, Star Horlock, and Chantal Eiwanger firing attacks on goal. Daisy Ford and Kendall Dowd split time between the posts on the day, combining for six saves.
After a scoreless first period, UMass Lowell opened the scoring off a textbook corner play to take the 1-0 lead into the break. The River Hawks added to the scoring with a pair of goals in the second half, and a few excellent saves from the home goalkeeper kept Stanford off the scoreboard for the third straight game.
UMass Lowell held an 18-8 shot advantage in the game and led the way on penalty corners, 10-5.