River Hawks Fall to Drexel, 3-2

Tuesday, September 12

Lowell, Mass.

5PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

1-2-2, 0-0-0

Drexel

3-1-1, 1-1-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Drexel	2	1	3
UMass Lowell	0	2	2

9/12/2023 8:09:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Postgame Interview Highlights

LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Santiago Delfino (Cordoba, Argentina) tallied his first goal as a River Hawk, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-2-2) fell to the Drexel Dragons (3-1-1), 3-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

Also finding the back of the net was sophomore Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) with his second goal of the young season. Chipping in with his first assist of the season was graduate student Denis Petro (Michalovce, Slovakia), who set up Holmstrom for the team's first goal of the match. In net, graduate student Jacob Heihsel (Holliston, Mass.) made three save

"It was a game of two halves," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "I thought in the first half we were pretty slow to start. In the second half I thought we were pretty good."

Although the River Hawks recorded the first shot of the game in the eighth minute, Drexel controlled possession for most of the first half. In the eleventh minute, the visitors struck first. After UMass Lowell blocked a shot, the ball kicked out to Drexel's Antonio Illuminato, who sent a high crossing pass just outside the box for Isaiah Whittaker-Francis. The defender sent his shot into the back of the net, giving the Dragons an early lead.

The two teams continued to battle throughout the second half, but Drexel held a 7-2 shot advantage with only five minutes remaining before the break. With the clock at 44:47, the Dragons lobbed the ball past the UMass Lowell defense and into the goal to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room.

Entering the second half, the River Hawks brought a new, high level of energy, dominating both sides of the ball. Only six minutes into the period, UMass Lowell found its first opportunity to score since the break. Sophomore Liam Ireland (Yarmouth, Maine) dumped a pass off to senior Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) at the top of the box. After collecting the pass the midfielder launched a shot off his right foot that sailed just over the crossbar.

In the 75th minute, still trailing 2-0, the River Hawks struck, pulling within one. Moving the ball down the left side of the pitch, Petro drilled a pass into the middle of the box for a sliding Holmstrom, who got a cleat on the ball to send it high in the air, over the head of the goalie before bouncing into the net.

Two minutes later, the Dragons added a goal to gain a 3-1 advantage. However, the River Hawks did not give in, continuously attacking the Drexel defense as they looked to get back on the board. It didn't take long for the aggressive UMass Lowell offense to retaliate, as in the 80th minute, Delfino collected a loose ball and fired a rocket from 25 yards out, sailing past the Dragons' keeper and pulling his team back within one. In the final nine minutes, the hosts continued to battle but could not find the equalizer, sealing the 3-2 decision.

Next up, the River Hawks will hit the road for a four-game trip, starting with a match at CCSU on Saturday, September 16. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at CCSU Soccer Field.