LOWELL, Mass. – A second half penalty kick was the difference in a 1-0 setback for the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-7-1, 1-2 AE) against Binghamton (7-2, 2-0 AE) at Cushing Field Saturday evening.
 
The River Hawk defensive unit worked to prevent quality chances for the opposition, giving up nine shots to the Bearcats with only three on net. UMass Lowell goalkeeper Christian Miesch (Ried-Brig, Switzerland) made two saves in the outing. Senior Borna Miklic (Kutina, Croatia) led the River Hawk attack, tallying three of the squad's ten opportunities.
 
"There were moments that were good," said Head Coach Christian Figueroa. "There's just inconsistencies that made it difficult on ourselves at times. Too many fouls gave away opportunities to Binghamton. We've got a lot to work on and a lot to learn about ourselves."
 
The opening frame was highlighted by defensive stands from both units. Binghamton led in shots, 5-4, through 45 minutes, but Miesch was only called upon to make a single save.
 
The Bearcats earned a pair of free kicks in the River Hawk zone in the 12th and 14th minutes, but on both chances, the UMass Lowell defense was able to clear the ball away.
 
Highlighting the home team's first half opportunities was a 30th minute free kick at the top of the penalty area taken by Miklic. The River Hawks' leading goal scorer stepped into the ball and aimed for the top left corner, but missed high to keep the game scoreless.
 
In the second frame, Binghamton's Ethan Homler capitalized on a penalty kick in the 67th minute to give the Bearcats the lead, 1-0.
 
UMass Lowell countered with more offensive pressure following the score. In the 76th minute, the River Hawks earned a free kick that was crossed in and found graduate student German Fuentes (Joroco, El Salvador). A well-placed header appeared destined for the top right corner before a leaping save by the Binghamton keeper swatted the ball away.
 
Moments later, Miklic received a through ball in stride on a pass from the UMass Lowell back line. A neat touch on the ball rolled it toward the bottom right corner, although it squeaked just outside the post.
 
Despite a late effort on a corner kick in the 87th minute, UMass Lowell came up short in their final game of the homestand.
 
The River Hawks take to the road for their next three matches, the first against Drexel in Philadelphia on Saturday, October 9 at 1 p.m.