September 20 at Dartmouth (7 p.m.)
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Twitter: @RiverHawkMSoc @RiverHawkNation
 
September 24 at Akron (12 p.m.) 
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Twitter: @RiverHawkMSoc @RiverHawkNation
 
LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's soccer team begins a three-game road swing this week, taking on Dartmouth Wednesday night, before the team heads to the Buckeye State to face Akron for the first time in program history. 

River Hawk Rewind
The River Hawks bounced back from their first loss of the season, going 1-0-1 last week in two home contests, drawing 1-1 with Quinnipiac before defeating Monmouth, 3-2. Jakov Basic (Zagreb, Croatia) scored three times on the week, including two blasts from 35 yards out in each of the games. His third goal gave the hosts a 2-0 lead against Monmouth off a free kick. Dario Jovanovski (Zagreb, Croatia) notched the game-winning tally against the Hawks in the 87h minute, avoiding a third consecutive overtime time for the River Hawks. Defending the net, Austin Kroll (Baltimore, Md.) made five stops. 

Leading the Flock
Basic (4g, 2a) sits atop the team in goals and total points (10), while Jovanovski has six points (2g, 2a). Gui Rodrigues (Lowell, Mass.) leads the offense with three assists, as the River Hawks have 16 helpers on the year. Between the pipes, Kroll has allowed sox goals on 52 shots, and has recorded 115 saves with a 0.93 goals against average and .714 save percentage. The River Hawks rank first and second in America East with 16 assists and 12 goals, respectively. 

And That Was Talking Soccer
For the first time since Sept. 19, 2016 the River Hawks did not crack the United Coaches Top 25. The team sits at No. 21 in the TopDrawer Soccer Top 25 and No. 29 in the College Soccer News Top 30.

A Helping Hand
UMass Lowell is tied for the conference lead with 2.67 assists per game and 16 total assists. The River Hawks sit in a deadlock for sixth in the country in assists per game, and ninth for assists. 
 
Scouting Dartmouth
The Big Green (3-2) have won its last three games by a combined scored a 7-0 to move above .500 for the first time all season, following a 5-0 defeat of Holy Cross on Sept. 16. Matt Danilack and Wyatt Omsberg have combined for four of Dartmouth's seven tallies of the season with two apiece. Justin Donawa has dished out three assists to help facilitate the offensive attack. In net, Christopher Palacios has appeared in all five games, and has posted a 0.22 GAA and .875 save percentage. 
 
Scouting Akron
The Zips (2-2-1) are unbeaten in their last three contests following their scoreless draw at Saint Louis on Sept. 16. Sam Gainford and Marcel Zajac have scored two goals apiece to pace the offense, while the team has two assists. Ben Lundt has made all five starts with a 0.57 GAA and .824 save percentage.

Series History
The River Hawks are 0-1-1 against Dartmouth following last season's 1-1 draw. The Zips and UMass Lowell meet on the soccer field for the first time. 

Saving Space in the Records
Kroll now sits third all-time with 30 career wins and 19 career blank sheets. With 582:53 of total playing time this season, he sits fifth all-time with 5,095:04 minutes in a River Hawk uniform.
 
Home Sweet Home
The River Hawks are riding a 12-game unbeaten streak (9-0-3) in the Mill City over the last two seasons, and have posted a 18-7-4 home record since 2014. Since joining DI, UMass Lowell is 19-10-5 at Cushing Field.

Croatian Connection
All four Croatian players have recorded a point this season, combining for 25 of the team's 40 points. Basic's 10 points lead the group while Jovanovski has six, while Blaskic and Ivan Abramovic (Zagreb, Croatia) have five and four, 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.