New Haven, Conn. - The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-3-1) dropped a 4-1 decision at Yale (2-1-0) on Saturday evening, as the offense was unable to break a strong Bulldog defense.
Junior
Sancho Maroto Tobias (Alcobendas, Madrid) netted the River Hawks' lone goal in the contest, while sophomore Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) led the team with four total shots. On the defensive end, senior
Christian Miesch (Reid-Brig, Switzerland) was tested eight times on the night, making four stops.
"We didn't do enough to come away with a result tonight," said Head Coach
Christian Figueroa. "Credit to Yale for taking advantage of their opportunities in the first half and making us play from behind in the second half. That was a tough opponent we faced and we have to learn from our mistakes tonight."
Early on, the River Hawks were unable to generate chances close to the net, forcing them to try from long range. They nearly broke through in the 14
th minute when Francés Poquet had a quick attempt following an incoming cross, but a Bulldog defender stepped in to block it away.
Yale broke through the UMass Lowell defense in the 20
th minute when a kick from the top of the penalty area was redirected into the bottom left corner by Jules Oberg. Less than three minutes later, they added onto their lead following a series of rebounds in tight, before Paolo Carroll finished off the attack to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.
The River Hawks saw more success at generating opportunities from inside the penalty area in the second half. Maroto Tobias put UMass Lowell on the board in the 56
th minute after he received a cross from freshman
Jonathan Ferreira (Ashland, MA) and beat the opposing keeper low.
The one-goal margin was short lived, though, as a corner kick opportunity for Yale led to a header by Eric Lagos that found the left corner four minutes later. The River Hawks continued to pressure offensively, but were unable to beat the Bulldogs' back line. A late Yale goal in the 83
rd minute then solidified the 4-1 outcome.
UMass Lowell looks to rebound when the team returns home to host Merrimack on Tuesday, September 14.
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