UNH Advances to AE Title Game; 'Cats Outscore UMass Lowell 8-7 in Penalty Kicks

Thursday, November 4

Lowell, Mass.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

6-8-4, 4-4-2

UMass Lowell

8-6-3, 5-3-2

New Hampshire

UMass Lowell

Photo by: Bob Ellis

UNH Advances to AE Title Game; 'Cats Outscore UMass Lowell 8-7 in Penalty Kicks

11/5/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass. – The University of New Hampshire women's soccer team advanced to the 2021 America East championship game Thursday night by outscoring UMass Lowell, 8-7 in 10 rounds of penalty kicks at Cushing Field. The teams played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime in the semifinal matchup.

Sophomore Anna Hewlett (Webster, N.Y.) scored the game-tying goal in the 80^th minute – and also converted her penalty kick in the second round – and senior captain Cat Sheppard (Nesconset, N.Y.) made six saves through 110 minutes of play.

Although not credited as saves, Sheppard did stop two shootout penalty kicks: in the bottom of Round 1 and then in the bottom of Round 10 to send the Wildcats to the title game.

UML goalie Lisa Sjogren also finished with six saves and made one stop in the PKs. Hailey DuBose scored in the 59^th minute to give the River Hawks a 1-0 lead.

New Hampshire, the No. 6 seed who also advanced out of the quarterfinals via shootout penalty kicks (5-4 in seven rounds following a scoreless tie at No. 3 NJIT), advanced to play at top-seeded University of Vermont on Sunday, Nov. 8 (2 p.m.).

The Wildcats move to 6-8-4 overall. Second-seeded UMass Lowell finishes the year at 8-6-3.

PHOTO GALLERY

FIRST HALF

UMass Lowell recorded a 7-6 shot advantage (4-2 on goal), but UNH had a 5-3 edge in corner kicks in the opening 45 minutes.
Freshman Meghan Guarente (Sewell, N.J.) had UNH's first dangerous scoring chance of the game, but her shot from eight yards on the right side to the near post was stopped by Sjogren.
In the 29^th minute, the Wildcats lined up for a free kick just outside the top of the box. With sophomore Emily Bini (Guilderland, N.Y.) and Guarente facing away from goal, sophomore Alivia Kelly (Pembroke, Mass.) approached the ball but suddenly stopped. As she backed away, Bini touched the ball toward the middle and Guarente blasted a shot through an opening in the wall toward the right post, but the ball sailed just wide.

SECOND HALF

UMass Lowell had 12-10 shot advantage in the second half , but UNH had the edge in both shots on goal (5-3) and corners (6-1).
The River Hawks converted a set play from the left wing into a goal and 1-0 lead at 58:42. Chaima Khammar served the ball toward the goalmouth and DuBose headed a close-range shot into the middle of the netting.
In the 62^nd minute, sophomore Logan Nicholson (St. Augustine, Fla.) pass down the right wing was corralled by Guarente at the top corner of the box, where she curled a high shot over the right post.
In the 72^nd minute on a direct kick from 30 yards, Kelly's right-footed blast ricocheted off a UML defender toward the right post and Sjogren scurried to push the ball wide of the post.
That resulted in a 'Cat corner, and the service into the middle of the box was headed by Kelly toward the top-left corner of the net, but Sjogren made the save.
The Wildcats continued to pressure, and in the 78^th minute senior captain Francesca Picicci (North Massapequa, N.Y.) beat a pair of defenders down the left side of the box before taking a close-range shot that was pushed aside by Sjogren.
UNH leveled the score, 1-1, at 79:47. Nicholson initiated the scoring sequence with a service from midfield on the right wing to the top of the box. Picicci touched the ball back to senior Julie Cane (Titusville, N.J), who in turn sent the ball to the right wing.
The service by sophomore Ella Dudley (St. Augustine, Fla.) sailed across the box, where Hewlett struck a forceful header from seven yards back toward the middle of the net for her fourth goal of the season.
Sheppard made one save the rest of the way – in the 88^th minute – to extend the game to overtime.

FIRST OVERTIME

New Hampshire recorded the only shot and corner in the first 10-minute extra session.

SECOND OVERTIME

UMass Lowell had a 5-0 shot advantage in the second OT, but Sheppard was not required to make a save.

PENALTY KICKS

Neither team scored in Round 1 of the Best of 5 penalty kick shootout.
Hewlett deposited her PK into the top right and UMass Lowell matched in the bottom of Round 2 to tie the score, 1-1.
UMass Lowell led 2-1 at the end of Round 3.
Guarente placed her penalty kick top left of center, but the River Hawks maintained their lead, 3-2, at the end of Round 4.
Kelly's shot sailed under the crossbar, then UMass Lowell's Ioanna Papatheodorou, the conference's Striker of the Year, fired a shot wide right of the cage to extend the game at 3-3 through five rounds.
Now entering single-round elimination, sophomore Keegan Mayer (Summit, N.J.) left-footed the ball to the left side, but she was matched to push the score to 4-4 after Round 6.
Dudley buried her PK to the top right, but UML once again answered to extend the game at 5-5 through Round 7.
In Round 8, junior Shayna Salis (Bedford, N.H.), who saw limited action in the 110 minutes of play, calmly placed her shot in the top-right corner. That goal was matched, and the game continued.
Nicholson's goal to the low left was also matched by the River Hawks in Round 9.
Graduate student and captain Casey Peterson (Round Hill, Va.) scored into the upper netting to once again put the onus on the home team to score to extend the game.
Olivia Sandahl pushed a low shot toward the right side and Sheppard made the diving stop to end the game and send New Hampshire to the title game at the end of 10 round.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UMass Lowell finished with the 24-17 shot advantage, but shots on goal were even at 7-7.
New Hampshire had the 12-5 edge in corner kicks.
Guarente recorded a team-high six shots (one on goal).
UML's Papatheodorou tallied a game-high eight shots (one on goal).

UNH NOTEBOOK

This will be UNH's fourth championship game appearance. The Wildcats won it all in 2014 – the first year under head coach Steve Welham – and were runner-up in both '98 and '07.
UNH has advanced out of both the quarterfinals and semifinals by shootout penalty kicks.
The 'Cats did the same in their 2014 title run.
Sheppard is atop the program's career GAA list at 0.94; no other Wildcat goalie finished with a sub-1.00 career GAA.
Vermont defeated UNH, 3-0, in the regular-season finale at Burlington on Oct. 28.
By advancing past NJIT and UMass Lowell, the Wildcats have already avenged two of their conference losses.
UNH has ousted the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds on the road. Up next is No. 1 UVM on the Catamounts' home field.

SERIES NOTEBOOK