THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 2, UMass Lowell 1
RECORDS: Hartford (5-5-1, 1-0 AE); UMass Lowell (3-3-3, 0-1 AE)
LOCATION: Cushing Field (Lowell, Mass.)
 
THE LEAD:
 
The University of Hartford women's soccer team continued its winning ways on Sunday, scoring its third-straight victory with a 2-1 defeat of UMass Lowell in both teams' America East openers at Cushing Field in Lowell, Mass. Sophomores Sierra Stone and Bridgette Alexander each found the back of the net within a six-minute stretch midway through the first half to provide the Hawks with a lead they would not relinquish.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A pair of goals within a six-minute stretch from Stone and Alexander provided the Hawks with a 2-0 advantage just over midway through the opening stanza.
• Stone got the scoring going in the 21st minute, putting the Hawks on the board with an unassisted score from on top of the box. Less than six minutes later in the 27th minute, Alexander capitalized on a defensive miscue by UMass Lowell's Emily Duchesne. Coming away with the misplayed ball, she split Duchesne and Julia Schneider, the River Hawks' keeper, before tapping in an easy shot on an empty net to make it a two-goal advantage.
• Just moments after Hartford's second goal, the Hawks dodged a bullet when Rachel Morrier reached the back of the net, but was whistled for offsides. Less than four minutes after the call, though, Hartford keeper Maia Perez made a clutch save on another Morrier shot – a free kick from 28 yards out. But UMass Lowell managed to close the gap to 2-1 on the play after Kristi Birgisdottir putting the finishing touches on the rebound at the 30:45 mark.
• Holding on to their one-goal advantage, the Hawks knocked on the door several times in the second half looking for their third goal. Despite not reaching the back of the net for the remainder of the half, Hartford's defense clamped down to prevent UMass Lowell from producing the equalizer, as Perez came away with three saves during that stretch.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS & NOTES:

• Perez made saves on six River Hawks' shots to earn her fifth career win between the posts.
• Shots were even at 6-6 at the end of what proved to be the decisive first half. Hartford went on to finish with a 13-11 edge in the category.
• Hartford improves to 3-1-0 in the all-time series with UMass Lowell with Sunday's win.
• The offense has been rolling for Hartford as of late, as the Hawks have scored 10 goals (2.0 gpg) in its last five outings. During that stretch, the Hawks are 4-1.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return home for the first time in more than two and a half weeks on Thursday, Sept. 28, as they host Maine in America East action. Kickoff from Al-Marzook Field is set for 6 p.m. in a contest that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.