Friday, September 5 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn College [1:30 p.m.] at Virtue Field: Burlington, Vt.
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Sunday, September 7 vs. La Salle University [11 a.m.] at Virtue Field: Burlington, Vt.
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Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkMSoc

LOWELL, Mass. -- The UMass Lowell men's soccer team looks to break into the win column this weekend with two games at the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Windjammer Classic, hosted by the University of Vermont. 

Despite a rough opening weekend tour of New Jersey, Head Coach Christian Figueroa likes the direction his team is taking.

"The team continues to improve and has a ways to go before we are where we want to be, but its been positive to see the steps this young group continues to take each week."

After being shutout by Monmouth University and Seton Hall University, the River Hawks are looking to find the back of the net and still be competitive against quality competition. UMass Lowell has fired 19 shots in the two games, with nine going on target. 

"St. Francis is coming off a strong season in which they made the NCAA tournament, so we'll need to prepare well this week as we go into the first game of the weekend," Figueroa added as the fifth-year coach sees his squad's first appearance in the Windjammer Classic as a challenge, but equally as a stepping stone. 

Figueroa looks for the finale on Sunday to serve as a learning experience.

"La Salle will also be a tough opponent for us as we continue to learn more about ourselves early on this season."

UMass Lowell will be the designated home team in both contests. 

The Opponents
St. Francis Brooklyn College [0-2-0]
As the reigning Northeast Conference champions, the Terriers have started off the season with two 1-0 defeats, the latter coming on September 2 in double-overtime to Manhattan. Redshirt junior goalie Jack Binks has made seven saves with a .778 save percentage in 193 minutes so far this season. Sophomore Nyel Patel leads the team with seven shots, including three on target. 

Friday will be the first matchup between the two teams. 

La Salle University [0-1-0]
The Explorers lost their season-opener, 1-0 to Siena, and open the Windjammer Classic with a matchup against Vermont on Friday at 4 p.m. After losing nine seniors to graduation, the team still returns seven seniors aiming for an improvement on the 8-8-4 campaign last year. 

This marks the first meeting between the River Hawks and Explorers.