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LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Wuilito Fernandes' (Praia, Cape Verde) first half goal provided all the offense the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (4-3) needed in a 1-0 defeat of the Hartwick Hawks (3-2-2) on Friday night.

"It was almost a tale of two-halves if you look at the stat sheet, but our guys did a great job," said Head Coach Christian Figueroa. "We had good opportunities in the first half and I was a little disappointed we didn't go up 2-0, but our guys found a good way to absorb some pressure early in the second half. Our defensive unit with Austin in the back, did a great job to keep the other guys off the scoreboard."

The River Hawks' game-winner came in the 21st minute when Guilherme Rodrigues (Lowell, Mass.) sent Fernandes into the box one-on-one with the keeper, and the junior buried his opportunity from just inside the 18-yard box.

The first half ended with UMass Lowell holding a 10-3 advantage in shots, with five shots on goal to one.

Both teams started the second half in a conservative fashion, with the Hawks getting off three shots in the first 13 minutes, but only one tested Austin Kroll (Baltimore. Md.).

The sophomore keeper made his best stop of the game in the 65th minute, when he was forced into a diving save to send Jamie O'Grady's bending shot away from the left post.

Hartwick outshot the hosts 12-4 in the second half, to finish with a 15-14 advantage, including nine shots on goal to the River Hawks' seven. Kroll made nine saves for his fourth shutout of the season.Fernandes and O'Grady each had four shots to lead their respective teams, while O'Grady had a game-high three shots on goal.

UMass Lowell wraps up its four-game homestand with a midweek matchup against Bryant on Wednesday, September 23 at 7 p.m.