FINAL SCORE: Vermont 18, UMass Lowell 8
LOWELL, Mass. – Taylor Mullen powered the offense with a five-goal outing as Vermont (7-1, 1-0 AE) defeated UMass Lowell (2-7, 0-1 AE) 18-8 in the conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Cushing Field. The Catamounts match their best eight-game start with the victory.
 
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Box Score
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"I'm really proud of our team for getting our first conference win against a tough Lowell team," head coach Sarah Dalton Graddock said. "I thought we made some great plays to keep our lead throughout, and not allow Lowell to get too close."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The River Hawks struck first on Abby McLaughlin's second goal of the season, but Vermont countered with four straight goals to grab a 4-1 lead. Riley Halloran netted the equalizer on a woman-up opportunity 4:36 after the UML goal. Ava Vasile, Maris Large, and Grace Giancola followed, before a late River Hawks' marker that made it 4-2 with 0:40 left in the quarter. Mullen put Vermont up 5-2 with six seconds left in the frame.
• Vasile notched her second tally of the game to open the second quarter and give the Cats a 6-2 lead. Izzy Liquori responded shortly after, before a pair of Catamount goals from Giancola and Meaghan O'Connor. Vermont would take an 8-4 lead into the break after UMass Lowell scored with 2:56 left in the second frame.
• UVM's lead stretched to six points with two-straight goals to open the third quarter. The Catamounts and River Hawks exchanged a pair of goals each to close out the frame, with Vermont in front 12-6.
• The Catamounts outscored the River Hawks 6-2 in the final frame to reach its season-high 18 goals. Mullen led the late attack with three goals in the quarter and Grace Giancola scored twice. McKenzie Ballard registered a free-position goal in the middle of the frame for her second tally of the day.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Mullen's five goals are the most by a Catamount since Vasile scored five times against Binghamton on Mar. 20, 2021.
• Giancola registered four goals for the second time this season. The redshirt senior also dished out an assist for a season-high five points.
• Vasile recorded a hat trick for the seventh time this season with a three-goal outing on six shots.
• Sophie McLaughlin racked up nine saves on 17 shots faced.

UP NEXT
Vermont hosts Merrimack at Virtue Field on Wednesday (Mar. 23). The opening draw is set for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen live on AmericaEast.TV. Wednesday's game is a make-up date for the matchup that was originally scheduled for Feb. 20. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets.