Box Score Oct. 26, 2010
Box Score
Sophomore D Evan Spann (Acton, Mass.) flicked home a free kick and senior Stephen Potcner (Wilmington, Mass.) converted a penalty as UMass Lowell defeated Merrimack, 2-0, Tuesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer clash at Cushing Field.
The victory extended UMass Lowell's unbeaten streak to three matches (2-0-1) as it improved to 3-10-2 overall and 2-8-2 in the NE-10 entering the season finale at New Haven Friday (2:00).
The loss extended the Warriors' winless streak to four matches (0-3-1) as they slipped to 9-6-1 overall and 5-6-1 in the NE-10 entering Friday's match at Southern Connecticut (7:00).
Against the run of play, UMass Lowell struck first when junior D Asley Barrios (Revere, Mass.) sent a free kick from the left side to Spann, who cut across the box and flicked inside the far post for a shock 1-0 lead. Until the play, Merrimack had outshot the River Hawks 11-1, including 8-1 in the opening 13 minutes.
The goal marked the second time in as many matches Barrios and Spann combined to score.
Among its handful of opportunities, Merrimack nearly took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when a volley by sophomore M Olaf Lindhe from the top right corner of the box rattled off the crossbar and was cleared. In the 19th minute, junior F Robbie Sabadoz found space deep and right of the goal and slotted just wide of the far post.
The Warriors started the second half as they did the first with two shots and two corner kicks within the opening three minutes. The Warriors' best chance of the half came in the 57th minute when a header at the far post by Lindhe from a cross by sophomore M Franklin Pena elicited a diving stop from freshman GK Connor Askins (Boston, Mass.).
UMass Lowell kept its poise and opened up the play thereafter, and Potcner had a pair of chances to double the lead. In the 66th, his header off a Barrios corner was over the bar while a turn and volley in the 74th caromed off the crossbar.
Potcner's chance came in the 81st minute when junior F Bruno Almeida (Chelsea, Mass.) was felled in the box after latching on to a through-ball from sophomore M Bruno Bonicontro (Marlboro, Mass.).
Potcner slotted the penalty left, sending freshman GK Mattias Drummond the wrong way, for his fifth goal of the season.
Merrimack outshot the River Hawks 22-7 overall and 8-3 on target, and also mounted an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks. Askins had eight saves for UMass Lowell while Drummond stopped one shot.
