LOWELL, Mass. –The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-4-3, 0-0-1 AE) battled hard to a 0-0 draw against the NJIT Highlanders (3-3-3, 0-0-1 AE) in the first conference match of the season.
 
In net, senior goalkeeper Jacob Heihsel (Holliston, Mass.) made seven saves en route to his second shutout of the season. On offense, senior Borna Miklic (Kutina, Croatia) tallied one shot on goal on two shots in 90 minutes of action. Sophomore Viljar Byrkjeland (Norheimsund, Norway) added in one shot on goal as well.
 
"We had a couple good chances at the beginning of the game as well as one at the end," said head coach Kyle Zenoni. "This is a 'Welcome to Conference Play", every game is going to be a battle, we know that. I was proud of how well the guys stayed together defensively while also creating some chances."
 
The River Hawks opened the game aggressively on offense, possessing the ball for the majority of the first ten minutes. In the sixth minute, UMass Lowell had its first opportunity to jump in front when sophomore Kai McLoughlin (Dural, New South Wales) sprinted down the field and dished out a pass to Byrkjeland who misfired a 15-yard shot just right of the net.
 
In the 15th minute, the River Hawks once again found themselves with a chance to get on the board. This time, senior Denis Petro (Michalovce, Slovakia) sent a crossing pass from the left corner in front of the net for Miklic to tip in, but a diving save by the visiting goalie kept the game scoreless. For the remainder of the half, the Highlanders dominated possession while outshooting the River Hawks, 5-0. However, UMass Lowell continued to suppress the aggressive attacks by NJIT to keep them off the scoreboard heading into the half.
 
Coming out of the break, NJIT picked up right where they left off as they continued to control possession. Twenty minutes into the half, the visitors looked to break open the scoring as Jordi Navio Sanchez collected a pass inside the box, but he was unable to cleanly get a shot off, setting up the save for Heihsel.
 
In the 73rd minute, the River Hawks had their best look at a goal when senior Matthias Stingl (Deggendorf, Germany) lobbed a pass from the midfield logo deep for freshman Michael Oliveri Jr. (West Islip, N.Y.). After settling the ball, Oliveri Jr. launched a shot from five yards out, but the NJIT goalkeeper was able to get in front of it and make the save.
 
In the final 15 minutes, the Highlanders put immense pressure on the UMass Lowell defense, firing off eight shots in that time frame. Heihsel was up for the challenge, making three incredible saves to maintain the shutout and finalize the 0-0 draw.
 
Next up, the River Hawks return to action at Cushing Field on Saturday, October 1, to take on the Vermont Catamounts at 3 p.m.