Oct. 18, 2011

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Only five points separates first through fourth places in the latest Northeast-10 Conference standings, a landscape that will change with third-place UMass Lowell hosting fourth-place Southern Connecticut tonight.

It can be argued that tonight’s clash is the biggest of the regular season for UMass Lowell, which has won seven straight matches - tying the school record - and has already played 13 of the top 14 teams in the Conference to date.

The River Hawks cap the regular season at eighth-place Pace Saturday (3:30), at 15th-place Assumption next Wednesday and at home against 14th place Le Moyne Oct. 29. Southern Connecticut still has to play Merrimack (Saturday) and Saint Rose (Oct. 26), which could further alter the standings.

UMass Lowell is fresh off another 2-0 week in which it defeated No. 18 Merrimack (2-1) and battled back from a 0-1 deficit behind a pair of goals from Brittany Russo to turn back Saint Anselm.

Southern Connecticut enters the match having lost 3-0 at Franklin Pierce Saturday, which halted a four-match unbeaten streak (3-0-1).

The Owls lead the all-time series against UMass Lowell 10-4-1 and went unbeaten in the first eight meetings (7-0-1) before the River Hawks scored their first win in 2004 (1-0). Since, UMass Lowell has won four of the seven meetings.

Southern Connecticut won last year’s match in New Haven, Conn., 1-0.