LOWELL, Mass. – An early second half surge by the River Hawks powered the University of Massachusetts Lowell past the LIU Brooklyn women's lacrosse team Saturday evening, 12-8. The Blackbirds, led by senior Jenn Peters who scored five goals, led at the half, 5-4, but UMass Lowell would score five goals in the first eight minutes of the half to take control of the contest and hand LIU its sixth loss of the season.

Peters would be the first to get LIU on the board, scoring six minutes into play on an unassisted goal to put LIU up, 1-0. Though UML answered on the next play with a goal of its own, Peters would score back-to-back goals in 20 seconds to lift the Blackbirds to a 3-1 advantage. Senior Jillian May added a goal with just over 16 minutes left to play in the half, and Peters would score one more with 27 seconds, giving LIU the 5-4 advantage at the break.

But the River Hawks came on strong early in the second half. With the home team playing a man up because of an LIU yellow card, UML would score one minute into play to tie it up, 5-5. Lowell took the lead just 90 seconds later on another goal, and would score three more times over the next six minutes to go up, 9-5.

Junior Sierra O'Connor had LIU's sixth game of the day just a minute later to help stop the spree and cut the lead to 9-6, but the River Hawks scored the next three straight to make it 12-6 with nine minutes to play.

Senior Mary McQueen had LIU's next goal five minutes later, off the pass from Peters, and 30 seconds after that, Peters added her fifth and final goal of the game, an unassisted effort that would cut the lead to 12-8. It was, however, the last time LIU would score, as UMass Lowell took the win to improve to 5-2 on the season.

Sophomore Virginia Gibbons had the loss in net for LIU, making nine saves in 60 minutes of action.

Up next, the Blackbirds open Northeast Conference play in two weeks, heading north to face off against Bryant, Friday, April 7 at 4 p.m., and then CCSU, Sunday, April 9 at 12 p.m.