River Hawks Travel to New Hampshire to Close Out Regular Season – UMass Lowell Athletics

LOWELL, Mass. – After nearly pulling off a comeback in the final minutes against No. 23 Vermont, the UMass Lowell men’s soccer team (6-4-5, 1-3-2 AE) hits the road to take on the New Hampshire Wildcats (6-3-6, 3-1-2 AE) for the final game of the regular season on Tuesday, November 5.

Tuesday, November 5 at New Hampshire (6 p.m.)

Watch | International Stream | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT

Senior Yanis Lakhlifi (La Crau, France) tallied his team-high fifth goal of the season, as the UMass Lowell men’s soccer team fell to the No. 23 Vermont Catamounts, 2-1, on Friday afternoon. Lakhlifi, who has now scored in back-to-back games, led the squad with four shots and tied for a team-high with two shots on target. Behind him, senior Jonathan Ferriera (Ashland, Mass.) added three shots, including two on goal. Senior Santiago Delfino (Cordoba, Argentina) chipped in with three shots, while junior Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina) added two shots. In net, junior JR Gawel (Leonardtown, Md.) made a season-high seven saves.

LEADING THE FLOCK

Lakhlifi leads UMass Lowell with 11 points off five goals and an assist. Right behind him are graduate student Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) and junior Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) who each total eight points. Trailing them, junior Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands) has six points to his name with two goals and two assists, while Esnaola has a goal and three assists for five points. In net, Gawel has made 58 saves in 12 games for a 0.763 save percentage, while sophomore Daniele Di Giorgio (Montréal, Quebec) has made one start, allowing one goal and making five saves in a 3-1 victory.

HOT START

The River Hawks, who started the season 6-1-4, were off to the best start since the 2016 season, marking the second-best opening in program history. The team also held an undefeated record through the first six games, tying the 2018 season for the second-longest undefeated start to a year, only behind the 2016 squad that began the year 10-0-2 on the way to a 13-1-2 record.

IN THE CLUTCH

So far this season, Holmstrom has found the back of the net in crucial situations, scoring in three of the team’s wins. Three of his four goals so far this year have proven to be the winning score and with three game-winning goals to his name, the Sweden native currently ranks 21st in the nation.

FRESH FACES

Five of the newest members of the squad have appeared in at least nine games this season, with Gawel and freshman Matteo Costa (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) starting in all but one match. Out of the newest River Hawks, junior Martin Harguindey (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and freshman Cristiano Da Silva (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) both have a goal to their name, while Costa and freshman Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) have each tallied an assist. 

CONFERENCE HONORS

Gawel leads the conference with three Defender of the Week awards, including being crowned the honors for two consecutive weeks. Costa has earned the Rookie of the Week award twice, tied for the most in the conference.

SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Wildcats enter Tuesday’s match coming off a scoreless draw on Friday night against NJIT. New Hampshire’s offense is led by Matthew Goncalves, who totals a team-high 18 points off eight goals and two assists. The only other double-digit point scorer for the Wildcats, Ibrahim Conde, has six goals and an assist so far this season. In net, Erik Lauta has started all 15 games, making 48 saves and allowing only 13 goals for a .787 save percentage.

A WIN WOULD

A win on Tuesday would clinch UMass Lowell’s second conference win, the most since the 2021 season. It would also move the River Hawks to eight points in conference play, potentially securing them a playoff berth dependent on the other results around the league.

MATCHUP HISTORY

Tuesday’s match will be the 16^th time that UMass Lowell and New Hampshire have squared off. The Wildcats have won the last nine matchups between the squads, with the last win for the River Hawks coming in 2017.