MLS Release

LOWELL, Mass. - UMass Lowell senior Wuilito Fernandes (Praia, Cape Verde) was one of 53 NCAA players invited to the MLS Player Combine, held in Los Angeles from January 8-12, the league office announced.

The MAC Hermann semifinalist becomes the first player in program history to be invited to the combine, and will be eligible to be selected in the 2017 SuperDraft on Jan. 13, also in Los Angeles.

Last week, Fernandes was named to the NSCAA All-America First Team following earning America East Striker of the Year, America East All-Conference First Team and NSCAA All-East Region First Team accolades. 

In 2016, the Praia, Cape Verde native set career highs with 11 goals, five assists and 27 points en route to UMass Lowell capturing the school's first America East Championship with a 2-1 win against Hartford on November 2. The River Hawks finished the season 13-1-2, and were ranked No. 19 and No. 4 in the final NSCAA Top 25 and RPI rankings, respectively.

As the team's leading scorer, Fernandes led the conference with 1.69 points per game and finishes his career eighth in total scoring (60 points) and eighth in career goals (25). The forward also tied the third-best scoring mark in a single season with 11 tallies.