Oct. 8, 2011

Box Score

Senior F Mohammed Saeed (Woburn, Mass.) scored a hat trick in the second half as UMass Lowell defeated the College of Saint Rose, 7-1 Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference men’s soccer clash at Cushing Field.

The victory was UMass Lowell’s sixth straight as it improved to 7-4-0 overall and 7-2-0 in the NE-10 entering next Saturday’s match at Saint Anselm (1:00).

Saint Rose slipped to 1-11-0 overall and 0-8-0 in the Conference and visits New Haven Tuesday at 4:00.

UMass Lowell led 2-1 at the break and scored five unanswered goals in the second half to seal the win. Sophomore M Daniel Galvin (Attleboro, Mass.) scored one goal and set up two others while freshman F Eric DeSantis (Woburn, Mass.) came off the bench to score one and assist on another.

Senior B Asley Barrios (Revere, Mass.) assisted on two goals.

“I’m happy we were able to score more goals today and break the streak of having to edge out games,” said head coach Christian Figueroa. “I was glad I was able to play a lot of guys today, which important going forward that they get some game time.”

All but two of UMass Lowell’s 11 matches this year have been decided by one goal.

UMass Lowell opened the scoring in the 24th minute when freshman F Homero Morais (Somerville, Mass.) was tripped in the box to earn a penalty kick. Senior M Matheus Candido (Lowell, Mass.) tucked the right-footed shot in the low right corner of the goal, sending Saint Rose GK Patrik Ohlsson the other way.

The Golden Knights, however, battled back and capitalized on a failed clearance on a corner kick by senior M Liam Barrett. Barrett curled the corner through the UMass Lowell box where sophomore M Dylan Klippenstein settled on the right side and side-volleyed a blast inside the far post.

“I think we have to shore things up a little bit and not give up goals when we really shouldn’t,” Figueroa noted. “(Klippenstein) was wide open back there.”

After a couple of near chances for Saint Rose, the River Hawks regrouped and took advantage of a free kick in the 37th minute. Barrios curled a free kick from the left flank into the box where DeSantis headed onto the left post, but converted the spoils into his second goal of the season.

Saeed, who has five goals and two assists in his last six matches, scored his first in the 49th minute off the industrious Galvin, who won a ball deep on the right side and crossed to Saeed for the finish and a 3-1 cushion.

Galvin then scored the first of three in a five-minute span in the 63rd when DeSantis provided a volley over the Saint Rose defense, which Galvin finished with emphasis inside the right post.

In the 65th, Barrios launched a corner kick from the left side to sophomore M Kyle Garvan (Braintree, Mass.) at the far post, who headed to an unmarked Saeed. Saeed headed home just behind the six-yard box.

Saeed and Galvin combined again in the 68th when Galvin flew down the left side, pulled back and crossed to Saeed, who slotted home.

Senior F Bruno Almeida (Chelsea, Mass.) capped the scoring in the 78th minute. Sophomore GK Connor Askins (Boston, Mass.), who replaced sophomore Chris Maierle (Wantagh, N.Y.) in the 73rd minute, launched a goal kick which Almeida played well off a defender and beat Saint Rose goalkeeper Dustin Greco one on one.

UMass Lowell outshot Saint Rose 29-8 overall and 16-4 on target. Maierle had three saves while Askins and junior Steven Azzarito (Westmoreland, N.Y.), who came on in the 81st, went virtually untested.

Ohlsson had four saves before being replaced by Greco (four saves) in the 72nd minute.