KINGSTON, R.I. – Freshman Daragh Reilly (Navan, Ireland) scored a goal in the final minutes, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-1-1, 0-0-0 AE) fought a draw with the Rhode Island Rams (1-0-2, 0-0-0 A10) on Friday night.  
 
Reilly's goal, which came 1:04 remaining in the game, marked the first of his career. Senior Borna Miklic (Kutina, Croatia) tallied his first goal of the season, as well as an assist. In net, senior goalkeeper Jacob Heihsel (Holliston, Mass.) made nine saves, a new season high.

"I thought it was a tale of two halves.," said head coach Kyle Zenoni. "First half we were dangerous and had the better of it, and in the second half we lost our way a bit. The boys fought hard and are getting better each week. They didn't give up and continued to fight and were able to find the equalizer late in the game."
 
For the second straight game, it took less than five minutes for the River Hawks to get on the board. Moving the ball quickly down the field, sophomore Viljar Byrkjeland (Norheimsund, Norway) dished the ball to Miklic, who collected the pass and fired it between two defenders and behind the keeper to give UMass Lowell the 1-0 advantage.
 
Both teams battled throughout the first half, but it was the River Hawks defense that came out on top. Led by the efforts of Heihsel, UMass Lowell recorded three saves while holding the Rams scoreless on seven shots, maintaining the 1-0 lead heading into the break.
 
In the 51st minute, a throw in by the Rams was shot into the upper corner of the net, tying the game up at one. Minutes later, Rhode Island was back on the attack, and launched a shot at the net that was blocked by a diving Heihsel, but the Rams knocked in the rebound to gain their first advantage of the night.
 
Although the Rams outshot the River Hawks in the second half, UMass Lowell continued to step up to the challenge. After a diving block by Heihsel left an opening in the net, senior Josh Ofosu (Chelmsford, Mass.) made a huge block to keep it a one goal game.
 
With less than two minutes remaining and possession of the ball, the River Hawks drew a yellow card, setting up a free kick opportunity on the Rams' side of the field. Launching a pass towards the box, Miklic transferred the ball to his right foot before using his heel to kick it to Reilly, who netted the game tying goal.
 
Next up, the River Hawks head home to Cushing Field to take on Holy Cross on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 p.m.