LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-5-3, 0-1-1 AE) continues action this week starting with a Morgan's Message dedication game against the Hartford Hawks (0-9-0) at Cushing Field on Wednesday, October 5, at 4 p.m. The River Hawks will then take the road to take on the UMBC Retrievers (5-4-1, 0-2-0 AE) at Retriever Soccer Park on Saturday, October 8, at 7 p.m.
 
Wednesday, October 5 vs. Hartford (4:00 p.m.)
 
Live Stats | Watch
 
Saturday, October 8 at UMBC (7:00 p.m.)
 
Live Stats | Watch
 
 LAST TIME OUT
 The River Hawks continued conference play, falling to #16 Vermont, 4-0. Senior Jacob Heihsel (Holliston, Mass.) made five saves for the River Hawks in 90 minutes of action. The offense was led by sophomore Kacper Skonieczny (North Haven, Conn.) who tallied a shot on goal. Also tallying shots were seniors Borna Miklic (Kutina, Croatia), Matthias Stingl (Deggendorf, Germany), sophomore Jonathan Ferreira (Ashland, Mass.), and freshman Michael Oliveri Jr. (West Islip, N.Y.).
 
 LEADING THE FLOCK
 Sophomore Viljar Byrkjeland (Norheimsund, Norway) currently leads the River Hawks with 10 points, including at least one point in five of the River Hawks' nine games. His four goals lead the team, while Miklic and sophomore Ferreira tied for the team lead with three assists. Heihsel leads the team with 40 saves and 2.29 goals against average in six games while setting a career-high with two shutouts. Junior Loucas Costeas (Nicosia, Cyprus) has also seen time in net, making two starts while making 13 saves.
 
 IMMEDIATE IMPACT
 The program's newest members have already made a huge impact only a few games into the season. Seven newcomers have started at least one game, while Byrkjeland leads the team in goals and points and ranks second in assists. Other new faces with at least a point include freshmen Daragh Reilly (Navan, Ireland) and Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina).
 
 SCOUTING THE HAWKS
 Hartford comes to Cushing Field following an 8-1 loss to Binghamton. Defender Demario Cameron leads the Hawks' offense with a team-high two goals and four points, while midfielder Nate Becher has a team-high two assists. In net, junior Rotem Fadida has been the primary goalkeeper for Hartford, totaling 52 saves with 4.7 goals against average in over 700 minutes of action.
 
 MATCHUP HISTORY
 Wednesday will mark the 10th time Hartford and UMass Lowell have matched up. Although the River Hawks have outscored the Hawks by a total of 15-12, the series is at a deadlock with both teams holding a 4-4-1 record against each other. The last time they faced off, UMass Lowell earned a 6-0 victory at home, with Kai McLoughlin (Dural, New South Wales) tallying his first career hat trick.
 
SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS
UMBC welcomes the River Hawks to town following a 2-0 loss to conference opponent New Hampshire. Despite being shut out the last time out, the Retrievers are still the top-ranked scoring offense in America East, averaging 2.2 goals per game. Midfielder Ryan Becher leads the UMBC offense with 13 total points, good for second in the conference. Right behind him are forwards Spencer Hanks and Taylor Calheira, who have 12 and 11 points, respectively. Goalkeeper Quantrell Jones has played every minute, making 29 saves while only allowing 12 goals in 900 minutes of action.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks and Retrievers have matched up eight times in the past, with both teams earning four wins. UMass Lowell currently owns a two-game winning streak over UMBC, including a 2-1 victory when the two teams last faced in 2021.