LOWELL, Mass. — Game 1 of Mike Pallister's tenure at the helm of the LIU field hockey team officially is in the books.
 
The Sharks fell to host UMass Lowell, 5-1, in the season opener on Friday at Wicked Blue Field.

The game remained scoreless until the third quarter, when the River Hawks struck first, on a goal from Sydney Grim.

Captain Saarah Olton tallied the lone goal for the Sharks, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with nine seconds remaining in the third quarter off an assist from Emilce Paez.

Fleur Hofman made seven saves in goal and handled the opening 45 minutes in her collegiate debut.

Freshman Kiki Bruning and redshirt freshman Juana Laskowski also made their collegiate debuts as starters, while grad transfer Kennedy Wainwright made her LIU debut as a starter.

LIU returns to action next Friday at 2 p.m. at Brown in Providence, R.I.

"UMass Lowell is a very strong team, so it was nice to be put to the test early," Pallister said. "There were some nice patches of play where we were able to move the ball well and create chances. Ultimately, lacking that final finish cost us. 

"We were chasing the game most of the afternoon, but scored a nice goal late in the third to get within one heading into the final quarter. The wheels fell off in the end, but we are trying a few new things, so I'm fine with us making mistakes as long as we understand why and then create solutions this week at practice. There is definitely a lot to take out of this experience before another tough road trip next weekend."