Box Score (PDF)Â | Figueroa Interview | Ruiz Interview | Highlights
LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's soccer team scored two goals in the second half, including
Ivan Abramovic's (Zagreb, Croatia) game-winning tally in the 86th minute to knock off Brown , 2-1, and increase the squad's winning streak to six games in front of over 900 in attendance Wednesday night.
With the win, the River Hawks move to 6-0 in 2016, while the Bears fall to 3-1.
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"It was a good performance after the first 10 or so minutes of the game," said Head Coach
Christian Figueroa. "I thought we started a little slow and Brown came out with a lot of energy but we controlled the tempo after their goal. The guys responded well after being down early and that goal early in the second half helped us control the momentum."
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After
Carlos Ruiz (East Boston, Mass.) disengaged a Brown player beyond midfield he sent in a long ball to Abramovic at the top of the 18-yard box, and after a controlled chest trap the redshirt-freshman easily beat goalkeeper Erik Hanson with a low shot to the left post for the River Hawks' third consecutive 2-1 victory.
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Wuilito Fernandes (Praia, Cape Verde) scored his sixth goal in as many games to bring the River Hawks even in the 53rd minute. For the second straight game, Ruiz found the senior with a long cross in the box and after one bounce Fernandes deposited a low shot through the keeper's legs.
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Throughout the contest, the hosts applied the majority of the pressure and accumulated 14 shots to the Bears' four. The River Hawks managed three shots on target, while Brown only had one attempt on goal. For the second time this season, junior
Austin Kroll (Baltimore, Md.) recorded a win without registering a save.
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The visitors broke onto the scoreboard in the ninth minute by way of a Jack Hagstrom header that snuck past the back post. The tally marked the first time that the River Hawks had trailed in 442 consecutive minutes.
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Just moments before the opening goal,
Dario Jovanovski (Zagreb, Croatia) ripped a high shot that was headed towards the upper left corner, but was knocked aside at the last moment by Hanson.
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As the first half went on, UMass Lowell continued to increase the offense, but could not get the equalizer. In the latter stages of the first 45 minutes, Abramovic came within inches of knotting up the score but his header in the 34th bounced just wide.
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The River Hawks look for their seventh consecutive win, hosting Dartmouth on September 17 at 7 p.m.