LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (4-11-1, 3-5 America East) came up just shy of defeating #6 New Hampshire (15-0-2, 7-0-1 AE) on Senior Night at Cushing Field, falling to the Wildcats 1-0.
 
A late first half goal by the visitors was all that separated the two squads on the score sheet. Six River Hawks players earned a shot in Monday night's contest, while senior goalkeeper Christian Miesch (Ried-Brig, Switzerland) made six saves throughout the evening. Prior to the match the team honored their senior squad members who'd made their mark on the UMass Lowell program.
 
"We've got a mixed group," said Head Coach Christian Figueroa. "We have guys who've been here for a year, some for five. They've all had their contributions to the program. Some gave a lot of themselves physically over time, so it's been great to see them grow and see what they've gotten out of this program. It's also great when you're able to bring in players for a year because they want to be a part of this. It speaks volumes about the guys who are in the locker room."
 
The UMass Lowell defense could credit the hands of Miesch for making a pair of key saves early in the first frame. In the 15th minute, New Hampshire was on the attack and a curling shot through traffic weaved its way toward the net, before Miesch snagged the ball.
 
Five minutes later the Wildcats earned a corner opportunity that was crossed into the box, but the River Hawk keeper once again got his hands up to prevent a scoring chance.
 
UMass Lowell battled to earn five shots in the opening half, their best moment following a sequence of quick passing in the final third. The forwards worked the ball from the left side to right, reaching the feet of Daniel Orrego (Medellin, Colombia) who fired a shot low right side that was turned aside by the New Hampshire keeper in the 34th minute.
 
The rush led to a River Hawk corner and quick shot by sophomore Reziq Banihani (Irbid, Jordan) that was smothered for a save.
 
The Wildcats retaliated moments after on a header by Johann von Knebel that bounced into the left corner and gave the away team the lead 1-0 before the break.
 
Throughout the duration of the second frame, New Hampshire tightened up defensively and limited UMass Lowell's ability to push forward. A breakthrough came in the 61st minute on a through ball sent by junior Matthias Stingl (Deggendorf, Germany) that was just inches from connecting on a header, only to sail out for a goal kick.
 
The River Hawks were unable to generate any shots in the last 45 and fall on senior night in their regular season conclusion. As a result, UMass Lowell will not qualify for the America East tournament.