ALBANY, N.Y. -  The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-8-2, 0-4-0 AE) fell to the UAlbany Great Danes (5-7-1, 1-2-1 AE), 2-0, on Saturday night at Bob Ford Field.

"It is obviously frustrating because we played poorly in the first half and well in the second half," said head coach Kyle Zenoni. "We have to learn to start off better and not dig ourselves a hole early in the game. We were able to be better in possession and create some dangerous opportunities in the second half. We fight all the way to the end which shows the character of the team."

Senior Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) led the River Hawks offense with two shots, including one on goal, while sophomore Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina) added one shot on goal. Sophomore Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands) totaled three shots in the match to lead his squad. In net, graduate student Jacob Heihsel (Holliston, Mass.) made five saves in 90 minutes of action. 

The River Hawks' first scoring opportunity of the night came only three minutes into the match after turning strong defense into an offensive possession. Cutting off a pass by the Great Danes, graduate student Matthias Stingl (Deggendorf, Germany) sent a pass deep down the field for his teammates. After a few short passes, Francés Poquet fired a shot off from 30 yards out, but a diving save by the UAlbany keeper kept the game scoreless.

In the sixth minute, the hosts used a throw-in for a deep pass into the box, setting up Jeff Thielmann, who booted the ball into the upper half of the net, giving his team the early 1-0 lead.

Following the goal, the Great Danes dominated possession time, pressuring the UMass Lowell defense for most of the first half. The River Hawks, however, were up for the challenge, stopping four straight shots by UAlbany. With 26:27 on the clock, Heihsel made an incredible diving save to keep the opposition off the board, but Ander Castillo was able to convert off the rebound, giving the Great Danes a 2-0 lead. UMass Lowell continued to fight while looking to cut into the deficit, but the score would remain 2-0 heading into the break. 

Although neither side tallied a shot in the opening 15 minutes of the second period, the River Hawks offense found momentum, beginning in the 61st minute. Freshman Daniele Mastroianni (Montréal, Quebec) sent a pass into the box for an Esnaola, who got a head on the ball, but a save by the keeper kept the visitors scoreless. UMass Lowell stayed aggressive, stringing together five straight shots, but could not convert on the chances. 

In the final ten minutes, UAlbany fought off the last of the River Hawks advances, holding on to their lead and sealing the 2-0 decision.

Next up, the River Hawks return home to take on Massachusetts in the Kennedy Cup match on Tuesday, October 17. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Cushing Field.