River Hawks Face 5-4 Setback at Holy Cross

Tuesday, October 3

Worcester, MA

6PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

2-5-2, 0-2-0

Holy Cross

4-6-2, 1-2-1

Team	1	2	Final F
UMass Lowell	4	0	4
Holy Cross	2	3	5

River Hawks Face 5-4 Setback at Holy Cross

10/3/2023 9:52:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. – Four players tallied a goal for the River Hawks as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-5-2) fell to the Holy Cross Crusaders (4-6-2), 5-4, on Tuesday night.

"We weren't good enough as a team," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "I didn't do my job and prepare the team properly and it showed in our performance. We played a lot of guys tonight and had to make some adjustments, but at the end of the day we were up 4-2 and gave the game away."

Leading UMass Lowell in scoring was sophomore Michael Oliveri Jr. (West Islip, N.Y.), who totaled two points off a goal and an assist. Also finding the back of the net for UMass Lowell was junior Justin Milovanov (Sheepshead Bay, N.Y.), sophomore Liam Ireland (Yarmouth, Maine), and freshman Daniele Mastroianni (Montréal, Quebec). Adding assists on the goals were junior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan), senior Josh Ofosu (Chelmsford, Mass.), and sophomores Mauro Fernandez (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden). In net, junior Adam Henry (Fort Myers, Fl.) made four saves in 90 minutes of action.

Although Holy Cross struck quickly, scoring a goal 13 minutes in, UMass Lowell responded with their own strike three minutes later. After Fernandez moved the ball down the field with a long pass, Nakajima headed the ball directly to Ireland, who sent a shot across the field into the bottom right corner of the net for his first goal as a River Hawk. In the 29th minute, the Crusaders found their second goal of the night, retaking the lead.

With just over ten minutes to play in the first half, the UMass Lowell offense erupted. After sophomore Oscar Perez (Sagunto, Spain) sent a high pass into the box that tipped off the fingertips of the Crusaders goaltender, Oliveri Jr. capitalized and knocked the loose ball into the net to even the score. Moments later, the River Hawks took their first lead of the night when Ofosu set up Mastroianni with a perfect pass that the freshman headed in for his third goal of the year. The fourth goal of the half came with three minutes to go, as Holmstrom dished the ball to Milovanov, who sent the ball past the keeper for a goal in his second-straight game.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Holy Cross controlled possession, keeping the ball on the UMass Lowell side of the pitch for most of the time. With 49:37 on the clock, a penalty in the box set up the Crusaders with a penalty kick as they looked to pull within one. Although Henry made an excellent diving block on the penalty kick, Matt McGonigle was able to collect the rebound and tap the ball in for the third Holy Cross goal of the night.

The Crusaders continued to press the River Hawks defense, but the visitors were up for the challenge, making key saves and blocks to keep their one goal lead. However, nearly 20 minutes into the closing half, Holy Cross found the equalizer off the foot of Ethan Gill. Although Holy Cross had momentum of their side, the River Hawks did not back down, restricting the oppositions opportunities while creating a handful of their own. Despite the battle from UMass Lowell, a goal in the final five minutes by the Crusaders sealed the 5-4 final score.

Next up, the River Hawks return home for the first time in nearly a month to take on UMBC in a Morgan's Message Dedication match on Saturday, October 7. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Cushing Field.