LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell River Hawks men’s soccer team returns to action Wednesday, September 20, hosting the University of Massachusetts Minutemen at Cushing field. The River Hawks enter the contest with a 3-1-1 record,coming off a 2-1 victory over Binghamton on September 16.
UMass Lowell’s offense is spearheaded by freshman Linus Musielak (Dortmund, germany) and sophomore Crisitano Da Silva (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia), who each have a goal, with Da silva adding two assists. Senior Junyoung Hwang (Gimpo, South Korea) has an assist, while sophomore Saihaj Kailay (Belleville, Ontario) leads the team in minutes played with 378. mauro Fernandez (Fitchburg,Mass.), Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan), and Pham are the only three River hawks to start in all five games this season. goalkeeping duties have been split, with Medrano leading with 18 saves and only one goal allowed in three matches, earning him america East Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week honors after 11 saves and zero goals allowed in his first two collegiate appearances.
Massachusetts arrives with a 3-2 record, following a 1-0 loss to Bryant. JP Mbuthia leads the Minutemen with three goals and two assists, while Aidan Kelly has seven points. Alex Geczy has started all five games in goal, recording 15 saves and a .714 save percentage. The all-time series between UMass Lowell and Massachusetts stands at 3-2-2, with the Minutemen holding the advantage. The River Hawks last defeated umass in 2019,winning 1-0 on the road.
A victory for UMass Lowell would improve their season record to 4-1-1, representing the second-best start under Head Coach Kyle Zenoni, surpassed only by last season’s 4-0-2 beginning. It would also mark their first win against the Minutemen since that 2019 road victory.
