LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-8-4, 0-3-2 AE) will wrap up their home schedule as they take on the UAlbany Great Danes (4-7-4, 3-1-1 AE) this Friday afternoon at Cushing Field.
 
Friday, October 28 vs. UAlbany (4:00 p.m.)
 
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LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks played to their second tie in conference play this past Saturday against Bryant. UMass Lowell dominated possession throughout the game, putting up 17 shots over the course of the game, but was unable to find the back of the net. Defensively, the River Hawks shut down the Bulldogs, limiting their opportunities and allowing only five total shots, including zero in the first half. Goaltender Jacob Heihsel (Holliston, Mass.) posted four saves on his way to his career-high third shutout of the season.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Senior Borna Miklic (Kutina, Croatia) currently leads the River Hawks with 14 points, including at least one point in six of the River Hawks' twelve games. His six goals and four assists both lead the team. Right behind him is sophomore Viljar Byrkjeland (Norheimsund, Norway) who has four goals and two assists for 10 total points. In net, senior Heihsel leads the team with 60 saves and 2.30 goals against average in ten games. Junior Loucas Costeas (Nicosia, Cyprus) has also seen time in net, making four starts while making 22 saves.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
The program's newest members have already made a huge impact in their first season at UMass Lowell. Ten newcomers have started at least one game, while Byrkjeland leads the team in goals and points and ranks second in assists, and freshman Oscar Perez (Sagunto, Spain) is the only River Hawk to have started in all 14 games. Other new faces with at least a point include graduate student Javier Torres (Málaga, Spain) and freshmen Daragh Reilly (Navan, Ireland) and Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina).
 
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
UAlbany currently sits third in America East with a conference record of 3-1-1. Their last time out, they took on conference opponent NJIT and took home a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Andrew Weiner in the 89th minute. Forward Saad Faiz leads the team with seven points off three goals and an assist, while Tiago Dias and Andrew Weiner are both second with six total points. Goalkeeper Shafique Wilson has started in all 10 games he has appeared in, allowing only 11 goals while making 38 saves for 1.10 goals against average and a 3-4-3 record. He also sits tied for third in the conference with four shutouts.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell holds a 5-6-0 record against UAlbany. The last time these teams met was during the 2021 season when the Great Danes scored in the final 10 minutes to earn a 2-1 victory. Jonathan Ferreira (Ashland, Mass.) scored the lone goal for the River Hawks, while Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) also recorded a shot on goal.