Sept. 11, 2010

Box Score

Junior F Mohammed Saeed (Woburn, Mass.) scored the winner in the 51st minute and freshman GK Chris Maierle (Wantagh, N.Y.) earned his first collegiate clean sheet as UMass Lowell defeated the University of Bridgeport, 1-0, Saturday in a non-conference men's soccer clash at Cushing Field.

With the win, UMass Lowell improved to 1-2-0 overall and opens Northeast-10 Conference play Tuesday night when it hosts No. 14 Franklin Pierce College at 7:00. UB slipped to 2-2 overall and visits Bentley Wednesday at 3:00.

UMass Lowell scored the winner when junior M Matheus Candido (Lowell, Mass.) took possession at the top of the box off a cross from the right side, then dropped off for Saeed just to his left. Saeed faked a defender with his left foot, then tucked a right-footed attempt inside the right post.

The goal came as the River Hawks applied the pressure in the early minutes of the second half. Senior F Stephen Potcner (Wilmington, Mass.) nearly gave UMass Lowell the lead a minute before when his header from junior D Charlie Ober (Atkinson, N.H.) went over the bar.

Bridgeport found its groove around the hour mark and nearly capitalized on a series of chances. In the 65th, freshman F Markus Naglestad (Kristiansand, Norway) touched nicely off a cross from the left side, only to see it go over the bar. Two minutes later, the Purple Knights thought they had leveled when senior M Nick Smith (Waterville, OH) headed home a cross from the left side, but Maierle was ruled to have been taken down on the play.

In the 69th minute, Maierle was called into action again when junior M Josh Pellegrini (Vineland, N.J.) broke free down the left, only to see the sprawling freshman thwart the attempt.

UMass Lowell nearly doubled its lead in the 88th when Candido crossed to sophomore M Ryan McLeod (Haverhill, Mass.) who settled nicely on the left of the six-yard box and sidefooted only for senior GK Milos Suljagic (Belgrade, Serbia) to snuff the attempt.

UMass Lowell outshot the Purple Knights 19-13 overall (7-4 on target) and posted a 7-2 edge on corner kicks. Maierle stopped four shots while Suljagic made six saves.