Box Score Sept. 7, 2011
Box Score | Video Highlights
Sophomore M Daniel Galvin (Attleboro, Mass.) set up two goals and sophomore G Chris Maierle (Wantagh, N.Y.) stopped a penalty kick to lead UMass Lowell to a 4-0 triumph over Merrimack College, 4-0, Wednesday night in the Northeast-10 Conference opener at Warrior Field.
With the win, UMass Lowell improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the NE-10 entering Saturday’s clash at Bridgeport (1:00). Merrimack slipped to 1-1-1 and hosts Wilmington Saturday at 4:00.
Two River Hawks – freshmen Homero Morais (Somerville, Mass.) and Eric DeSantis (Woburn, Mass.) – opened the college accounts while Maeirle, sophomore Bruno Bonicontro (Marlborough, Mass.) and senior F Mohammed Saeed (Woburn, Mass.), who scored on a bicycle kick in the 61st minute, provided the highlights.
“We needed a fast start the way we did in our last game (at Dowling, a 2-1 loss) and to keep the pressure on,” said head coach Christian Figueroa. “We defended very well, especially in the early going when Merrimack was coming after us. We tried to identify Merrimack’s strengths and we did that very well.”
Morais opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Galvin possessed on the left flank and struck a low hard cross to Morais on the run, who tapped home inside the near post.
UMass Lowell maintained the pressure and it paid off in the 15th minute. A failed clearance went to Galvin, who volleyed from the left side back into the box to Bonicontro, whose side volley soared inside the left post.
Merrimack had a golden chance to cut the lead in half in the 20th minute when Galvin was whistled for a handball in the box. Senior M Evan Burokas drilled his attempt inside the left post, but Maierle guessed right to tip the ball wide and clear.
“It was a good penalty kick, taken real hard,” Figueroa noted. “But Chris knew which way he was going. He made a great save.”
As Bonicontro’s goal was highlight reel, Saeed’s was one for the ages. Following a scramble in the 61st minute, freshman D Juan Moreira (Leominster, Mass.) headed back into the box where an unmarked Saeed and caught the Warriors by surprise.
DeSantis capped the scoring five minutes later when he won a ball on the right side, penetrated, cut inside between two defenders and slotted inside the left post.
Merrimack had the better of possession, evidenced by 17-11 edge on shots (6-5 on target) and an 11-3 advantage on corner kicks.
Maierle stopped five shots before being replaced in the 77th minute by sophomore Connor Askins (Boston, Mass.), who went untested. Sophomore Matthias Drummond and senior Evan Berube and each had one save for Merrimack.
