River Hawks Fall To NJIT, 4-1, In Conference Opener

Saturday, September 23

Newark, NJ

7PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

2-3-2, 0-1-0

NJIT

4-3-2, 1-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
UMass Lowell	0	1	1
NJIT	2	2	4

River Hawks Fall To NJIT, 4-1, In Conference Opener

9/23/2023 10:25:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

NEWARK, N.J. – Sophomore Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) tallied his third goal of the season as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-3-2, 0-1-0 AE) fell to the NJIT Highlanders (4-3-2, 1-0-0 AE), 4-1, on Saturday night in the conference opener.

"We got brought down to reality tonight," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "NJIT played very well and were better than us on the night. We will be getting back up on our feet and prepare for Vermont starting tomorrow. We have a great group of guys that are talented and we will get a chance to compete against a nationally ranked team. I know we will be up for the challenge."

While Holmstrom tallied the lone goal for the River Hawks, sophomore Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands) led the squad with three shots, including one on goal. Behind him, graduate student Denis Petro (Michalovce, Slovakia) and junior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) added two shots and a shot on goal each. In net, junior Adam Henry (Fort Myers, Fl.) made three saves in 90 minutes.

The Highlanders came out aggressive, scoring the opening goal less than two minutes into the match off the foot of Alvaro Heredia. Following the restart, NJIT continued to pressure the River Hawks while controlling most of the time of possession. In the sixth minute, Jordi Navio Sanchez connected with a shot into the top left corner of the net, giving his squad an early 2-0 lead.

In the 22nd minute, the River Hawks offense began to find a spark, firing off back-to-back shots from Petro and junior Rui Aoki (Hyogo, Japan) that the NJIT goalkeeper saved. UMass Lowell, however, looked to use the momentum they created as they locked down the Highlanders offense and put together five straight shots in a ten-minute span. The River Hawks continued to battle, totaling seven shots in the first half, but trailed 2-0 heading to the locker room.

Out of the break the hosts picked up where they left off and put the River Hawks back under pressure. Although UMass Lowell logged the first shot of the half in the 49th minute, NJIT added their third goal only minutes later. After the goal the teams traded a handful of opportunities before the Highlanders added their final goal of the night in the 70th minute.

Following the goal, the teams exchanged opportunities in a hard-fought final 20 minutes of the match. The River Hawks continued to create chances, and capitalized with less than three minutes to play when Holmstrom drilled a ball from the top of the box into the bottom right corner of the net. The Highlanders ran out the final two minutes on the clock to come away with the 4-1 victory.

The River Hawks return to action on Saturday, September 30, when they head north to take on the Vermont Catamounts. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Virtue Field.