October 21 at Binghamton (7 p.m.)
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Twitter: @RiverHawkMSoc @RiverHawkNation
LOWELL, Mass. – With only three conference contests remaining on the schedule, the fifth-place UMass Lowell men's soccer team looks for three points from its matchup at Binghamton on Saturday evening. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.
Leading the Flock
Jakov Basic (Zagreb, Croatia) (4g, 2a) sits atop the team in goals and total points (10), while
Dario Jovanovski (Zagreb, Croatia) and
Ivan Abramovic (Zagreb, Croatia) have eight points apiece (3g, 2a). Gui Rodrigues (Lowell, Mass.) leads the offense with three assists, as the River Hawks have 18 helpers on the year. Between the pipes,
Austin Kroll (Baltimored, Md.) has allowed 17 goals on 127 shots, and has recorded 32 saves with a 1.36 goals against average.
Abramovic: Croatian for Clutch
After Saturday's clinching tally, eight of Abramovic's 11 career goals are game winners, including both of his scores in 2017 to sit atop the conference.
A Helping Hand
The River Hawks rank third in America East with 21 assists, and second with 1.75 helpers per game.
Scouting Binghamton
The Bearcats (5-6-3, 1-1-2) trail the River Hawks in the America East standings, and fell short in their last conference tilt, 2-1, at New Hampshire. Nikos Psarras paces the offense with six goals and his 12 total points, while Noah Luescher has 11 points from a team-high five assists and three scores. Jack Muller has recorded two game-winning goals for Binghamton, while Haris Brkovic is second on the squad with four tallies of his own. In net, the Bearcats have had three goalies all appear with Alejandro Cubillo posting a 4-5-1 mark in 12 starts. Cubillo has allowed 16 goals with a 1.73 GAA and .733 save percentage.
Series History
The River Hawks own a 4-2-1 record against Binghamton, with last year's 1-1 draw ending UMass Lowell's attempt for three straight wins.
Home Sweet Home
The River Hawks are riding a 14-game unbeaten streak (11-0-3) in the Mill City over the last two seasons, to move into a tie for the third longest home unbeaten streak in program history. UMass Lowell has posted a 20-7-4 home record since 2014. Since joining DI, the boys in blue are 21-10-5 at Cushing Field.
Home Unbeaten Streaks
| Year |
Length (Record) |
| 2006-07 |
17 (13-0-4) |
| 2001-02 |
17 (15-0-2) |
| 2016-17 |
14 (11-0-3) |
| 2000-01 |
13 (10-0-3) |
| 2011-12 |
11 (10-0-1) |
Saving Space in the Records
Kroll now sits third all-time with 32 career wins and 20 career blank sheets. With 1122:53 of total playing time this season, he sits fifth all-time with 5,545:04 minutes in a River Hawk uniform.
Croatian Connection
All five Croatian players have recorded a point this season, combining for 32 of the team's 55 points. Basic's 10 points lead the group while Jovanovski and Abramovic have eight, while
Ivan Blaskic (Zagreb, Croatia) and
Roko Prsa (Sisak, Croatia) have five and one, respectively.
Notables
Basic picked up his first career America East Player of the Week award (9.18) ... UMass Lowell has won three consecutive season openers for the first time since 1999-2002, when the team earned victories in four straight.
