Press Release

PURPLE KNIGHTS  BLANKED BY UMASS LOWELL, 5-0 IN SEASON FINALE   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION October 26, 2005                                                                                Contact: Daniel O'Reilly Courtesy UMass Lowell Sports Information                                            Phone: (802) 654-2929 LOWELL, MA (Oct. 26, 2005) – Senior F Jody Graham (Billerica, MA) and sophomore M Celia Merullo (Wakefield, MA) each scored one goal and assisted on another as UMass Lowell capped the regular season with a 5-0 victory over Saint Michael’s Wednesday night at Cushing Field. With the victory, UML improved to 12-5-1 overall (9-4-1 in the Northeast-10 Conference) and will host a first round match in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Sunday. The River Hawks, with 28 points, sit in a three-way tie for second place in the NE-10 along with Bryant and Merrimack and could grab the No. 2 seed for the Tournament should Bryant (9-3-1 NE-10, 28 points) and Assumption (8-2-3, 27 points) lose Thursday. Bryant (13-4-1 overall) hosts Pace (9-8-1, 4-8-1) while Assumption (8-2-3, 27 points) hosts Stonehill (8-3-4, 6-3-4). UML can do no worse than finish fourth in the Conference, since it defeated Merrimack (9-4-1, 28 points), 1-0 in OT, during the regular season. The River Hawks scored three goals in the first half just 11:05 apart. Merullo opened the scoring in the 16th minute when she converted a rebound off a saved shot by Graham. Junior M Kristin Mahoney (Newburyport, MA) gave UML a 2-0 lead when she dispossessed a defender and launched a shot which deflected off the hip of another defender into the left side of the goal. Three minutes later Graham was the recipient of a rebound off a saved shot from freshman M Grace Larsen (Newburyport, MA) for a 3-0 cushion. In the 74th minute, freshman F Natalia Mendoza (Haverhill, MA) tapped in a cross from junior M Jamie Lynn Cathcart (Hollis, NH). Merullo set up the play when she volleyed to Cathcart, who broke free down the left flank. Freshman F Amanda Goodwin (Ayer, MA) capped the scoring in the 89th minute when she took a pass from junior F Kelley Plante (Yarmouth, MA) and sent a shot which ricocheted in the goal off a defender. UML outshot the Purple Knights 21-7 overall and 14-5 on target. Sophomore Laura Tuveson (Norfolk, MA) had nine saves while freshman Jennifer Cole (Dracut, MA) stopped five shots for UML. SCORING: UML Celia Merullo Jody Graham 15:17 UML Kristin Mahoney -- 23:16 UML Jody Graham Grace Larsen 26:22 UML Natalia Mendoza Jamie Lynn Cathcart, Celia Merullo 73:14 UML Amanda Goodwin Kelley Plante 88:03 Goalkeepers Jennifer Cole (UML): 5 saves, 90:00 Laura Tuveson (STM): 9 saves, 90:00 ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

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Last Revised: October 25, 2002