LOWELL, Mass.—Despite a strong chance by junior Sancho Maroto Tobias (Alcobendes, Madrid), the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-4-1) came up just shy in a home contest against Merrimack (1-4-1) Tuesday night, falling to the Warriors, 1-0.

Senior goalkeeper Christian Miesch (Ried-Brig, Switzerland) was only required to make three saves on the night. Offensively, the River Hawks paced the Warriors, 11-5, in shots, as junior Matthias Stingl (Deggendorf, Germany) led the charge with four chances.

"We're giving away opportunities," said Head Coach Christian Figueroa. "Our back line has done an outstanding job all season long, but our chances on the attacking half have been letting us down. I think it's our own hurdles right now. We're just not able to get to the finish line when it comes to finishing."

Chances were limited in the opening frame for both teams, with each squad only producing one shot through the opening 20 minutes of action. The River Hawks were able to force the ball wide and cross into the box, but the passes never connected with an attacker. In the 26^th minute, sophomore Pierre Spiegel (Amherst, Mass.) sent in a hard, low pass from the right side, but it was quickly cleared away by Merrimack goalkeeper Alvaro Rodriguez.

Late in the half, the River Hawks began to pressure more, but still struggled to generate shots. In the 40^th minute, senior Borna Miklic (Kutina, Croatia) lifted the ball high into the penalty area only to be punched away by the opposing keeper.

The second half showcased more opportunities offensively for the River Hawks. UMass Lowell narrowly missed the lead when in the 49^th minute, redshirt senior Damian Attidore (Weston, Mass.) bent in a cross from the right to Maroto Tobias. He connected with the ball in stride, but it struck the underside of the crossbar, sending it straight down into the turf, only to be cleared away.

A Merrimack rebuttal came minutes later when Frantz Pierrot made a leaping volley to the low left side, but a diving save by Miesch prevented the ball from crossing the line.

The back line held firm until the 74^th minute, when Stefano Pesenti stole the ball from the River Hawk defense inside the penalty area and tucked a low shot into the right corner to put Merrimack up, 1-0.

UMass Lowell continued to press in the late minutes of the match. In the 84^th minute, freshman Jonathan Ferreira (Ashland, Mass,) attempted to slide the ball into the bottom left corner to draw even, but the keeper blocked it away to keep the River Hawks from completing a comeback.

The River Hawks take to the road on Saturday, September 18, to open conference play against NJIT at 6 p.m.