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In 2004, it fell agonizingly short. In 2008, it couldn't have come any closer, having to share the regular season title.

With Friday afternoon's regular season finale at Stonehill College (3:30), the UMass Lowell men's soccer team has a chance to win the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title outright for the first time in the program's history.

All it needs is a win.

With a loss, the River Hawks, with a 10-2-0 record in the NE-10 and 30 points (12-3-1 overall), could finish no lower than a tie for second, but could get the No. 3 seed for the Conference Tournament.

Merrimack, with a 9-2-1 clip and 28 points, looms in second place while Southern New Hampshire (9-3, 27 points) sits in third. Should the River Hawks tie with SNHU, the Penmen get the No. 2 seed since it won head-to-head last week, 3-0 in Manchester.

“Our guys are fully aware,” said head coach Christian Figueroa, in his second season. “They are very focused and prepared for one of their toughest tasks this year given the circumstance.”

Southern New Hampshire visits eighth-place American International (5-9-2, 5-5-2 NE-10) while Merrimack hosts last-place Saint Rose (1-14, 1-11 NE-10) at 5:00.

UMass Lowell hit a rough patch toward the bottom third of its schedule, losing three of four matches: a 0-3 loss at LIU Post, a 4-1 win over Saint Anselm, a 0-3 loss at Southern New Hampshire and a 1-2 loss to Southern Connecticut last weekend.

The River Hawks however, reclaimed their groove in Tuesday's 3-1 victory at Dominican.

In recent history, Stonehill has been a thorn in UMass Lowell's collective side. In 2008, the Skyhawks battled back from a 3-1 deficit to escape with a 3-3 draw, partly resulting in the River Hawks shared title with Southern New Hampshire.

Stonehill won both regular season meetings in 2009 and 2010, 2-1 and 4-0. Last year in Lowell, the Skyhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first half before Bruno Bonicontro (Marlboro, Mass.) and Mateus Candido scored goals four minutes apart in the final 10 minutes for a 3-2 win.

Stonehill has struggled to a 4-11-1 overall record and a 3-9-0 clip in the NE-10, currently second from the bottom. The Skyhawks are fresh off a pair of wins – 4-2 at Saint Rose and 1-0 at home over Saint Anselm.

Friday's clash is the Skyhawks' final match of the season. They will honor their five seniors prior to kickoff. They would like nothing more than to go out winners.

“I expect a battle from Stonehill,” Figueroa said. “They have an opportunity to play an important role in the final league standings, and I believe they will have a lot of fight in them to try to make that impact.”