LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-4-2, 0-2-0 AE) takes a break from conference play to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders (3-6-2) on Tuesday, October 3, before returning to America East action at home against the UMBC Retrievers (5-2-2, 1-0-1 AE) on Saturday, October 7.

October 3 at Holy Cross (6:00 p.m.)
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October 7 vs. UMBC (7:00 p.m.)
Live Stats | AE.tv
 
LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter this week following a 2-1 loss on the road against #14 Vermont. Junior Justin Milovanov (Sheepshead Bay, N.Y.) filled up the box score, scoring the lone goal for the River Hawks while leading the squad with three shots, including two on goal, in a full 90 minutes of action. Behind him on the shot chart were both sophomore Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina) and sophomore Liam Ireland (Yarmouth, Maine), who each tallied two shots, including one on goal. In net, junior Adam Henry (Fort Myers, Fl.) made seven saves, setting a new personal best.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Junior Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) currently leads the River Hawks with four goals and eight points. Tied for second on the team, sophomore Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweeden) and freshman Daniele Mastroianni (Montréal, Quebec) each have three goals for six total points. Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands) and graduate student Javier Torres (Málaga, Spain) pace the team in assists with two each. In net, Henry has made 21 saves in six appearances, good for a 1.83 goals against average. 
 
FRESH FACES
Eleven of the newest members of the squad have made at least one appearance in the first seven games, including seven who have started in at least six matches. Of the newest River Hawks, Matroianni leads in scoring with six points, Scholten adds two points, and Milovanov and junior Santiago Delfino (Cordoba, Argentina) each add a goal of their own. 
 
CONFERENCE HONORS
Following his impressive performance against Northeastern, Mastroianni was named the America East Rookie of the Week on September 5. The award marked the first of the rookie's young career and the first for a River Hawk this season. 

AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE
For the second straight week, the NCAA Men's Soccer RPI ranked the America East as the third strongest conference in the country, only behind the Pac-12 and the ACC.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross welcome UMass Lowell to Virtue Field following a 1-0 loss to Lafayette. Junior forward Evan Jones leads the Crusader offense with three goals and an assist for seven points. Sophomore Ethan Gill is the only other multi-goal scorer for the team, totaling two goals in 11 games. In net, Tristan Stephani has made 33 and allowed 13 goals in 10 games started, good for 1.37 goals against average.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS
UMBC comes to town with a 1-0-1 record in conference play, and most recently will have taken the field against Navy on Tuesday night. Ahead of their midweek match, senior Taylor Calheira has posted an impressive seven goals, good for first in the America East and tied 11th in the country. Loc San and Alek Wroblewski are tied for second on the team with two goals each. The Retrievers have had two goaltenders split time in net, with sophomore Emigdio Tormo Lopez starting in five of nine games. In his six total appearances, Tormo Lopez holds a 3-2-1 record, allowing seven goals with 21 saves for a 1.18 goals against average.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
Tuesday's match will be the fifth meeting between the River Hawks and Crusaders, with Holy Cross holding a 3-1 edge. Most recently, the two teams faced off at Cushing Field in 2022, with UMass Lowell falling, 5-4, in a high-scoring thriller. In their all-time series against UMBC, the River Hawks hold a 4-5 record against the conference foe. The River Hawks have won four of the last six matchups, however, UMBC took home a 5-1 victory in last year's battle.
 
A WIN WOULD 
A win against the Holy Cross would be the second in the series for UMass Lowell and the first since a 2-1 win in 2019. If the River Hawks take down UMBC, the team would earn their first points in conference play.