Senior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) registered two goals, but the No. 4 UMass Lowell field hockey team fell 4-3 against No. 5 Maine in the America East Championship quarterfinals on Sunday at Wicked Blue Field.

“We had a lot of nervous energy to start the game and that put us in a hole,” said head coach Shannon LeBlanc. “In conference tournament play, you can’t do that and expect to win. I like our fight back mentality throughout the rest of the game, but it wasn’t enough today.”

UML finished 8-10.

In addition to Leeper, sophomore Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) also totaled four points on the day, adding one goal and two assists for the River Hawks. Freshman goalkeeper Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) matched a season high with 14 saves.

“I want to give my sincere appreciation to our five seniors, who gave their heart to this program during their time here,” LeBlanc said. “They have left a great imprint on this program and we know they will shine in their next chapter.”

The Black Bears attacked at the first whistle, forcing three early saves from Mous before earning a penalty stroke opportunity that Eloise Penty converted on to put the visitors ahead, 1-0, in the fourth minute.

The River Hawks finish the 2025 campaign with an 8-10 overall record.

Women’s soccer

UML falls: The third-seeded River Hawks and sixth-seeded Bryant were deadlocked at 0-0, forcing a shootout.

Bryant won the shootout 4-3 to capture the America East Championship quarterfinal round in Lowell.

The Bulldogs and River Hawks combined for 14 first-half shots, but Bryant recorded the lone shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes.

Both teams’ keepers were well tested in the second half, as UMass Lowell’s Rachel Welch stopped two shots, while Bryant’s Selena Negron made three saves. Neither side found the back of the net through 110 minutes, but they both converted three-out-of-five initial attempts in the shootout.

Bryant’s Negron stopped the River Hawks’ sixth shootout attempt before her teammate, Madison Luke, buried hers to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.