Nov. 5, 2009

Game Notes: UMass Lowell vs. Bentley (NCAA First Round)

The #3 seed UMass Lowell River Hawks will take on the #2 seed Bentley Falcons in NCAA Tournament North Region First Round on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The teams sit at an even 1-1 on the year and will look to the tournament to break the stalemate. The game will rematch the two teams for the third time in as many weeks, as the River Hawks defeated the Falcons, 2-1, in their only regular season contest of the season on Oct. 21.

The teams last met one week ago, on Oct. 31, in the Northeast-10 Tournament Semifinal played at Stonehill. The game was a defensive showcase and was decided by a 1-0 score, with Bentley on the winning end of the battle. Sophomore midfielder Stephanie Sideris (Watertown, MA) scored the game’s lone goal after grabbing her own rebound after a penalty corner.

Despite the loss, UMass Lowell outshot its opponent 18-10 on the afternoon and owned the 16-5 advantage in penalty corners. NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year Alyssa Sliney (Brewster, MA) made nine saves in the shutout. The Falcons went on to win the NE-10 Tournament, defeating #1 seed Stonehill for the 2009 title.

UMass Lowell is led by Northeast-10 Player of the Year Sammy Macy (Tewksbury, MA), while Bentley’s leading scorer is senior Courtney Barlett (Brunswick, ME). Macy leads the NE-10 in points (53), goals (23) and points per game (2.52). Bartlett is tied for seventh in goals (12) and ranks eighth in points (33).

Macy ranks first, all-time, for points in an NCAA Tournament, after tallying nine points during the 2008 Tournament. She is also tied for first with four goals in a single tournament, also in 2008.

UMass Lowell has advanced to the NCAA title game in each of the last two years and this year marks the seventh consecutive year the River Hawks have played in the NCAA Tournament. They have played to a 6-6 all-time record in seven appearances to date, and have earned one title (2005) and three runner-up spots.

The River Hawks and Falcons have met the last three years in the NCAA Tournament, where UMass Lowell owns the 2-1 record. In 2008, UMass Lowell won the semifinal game against Bentley, 6-3, and 2-0 in 2007. In 2006, it was the Falcons who earned the victory over the River Hawks by a score of 3-1. The teams have never before met in the first round of the tournament.

The winner of this quarterfinal game will take on #1 seed Stonehill, who received a bye for the first round of the tournament, on Friday, Nov. 13 in Easton, MA.