Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

UMass Lowell Athletics

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF UMASS LOWELL ATHLETICS
Now Loading:
Men's Soccer
Yanis Recap Header vs NJIT
1
NJIT NJIT (6-6-3, 2-2-1)
1
UMass Lowell UML (6-3-5, 1-2-2)
NJIT NJIT
(6-6-3, 2-2-1)
1
Final
1
UMass Lowell UML
(6-3-5, 1-2-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
NJIT NJIT 0 1 1
UMass Lowell UML 1 0 1

Next Game:

Vermont

11/1/2024 | 3PM

Next Game

Full Schedule
Nov. 01 (Fri) / 3PM
 Vermont
History

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

River Hawks Battle To 1-1 Draw Against NJIT

LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Yanis Lakhlifi (La Crau, France) scored his career-high fourth goal of the season, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (6-3-5, 1-2-2 AE) fought to a 1-1 draw against the NJIT Highlanders (6-6-3, 2-2-1 AE) on Saturday night.

"I thought we played good soccer throughout the match," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "Obviously it was a battle.  It was good we didn't drop the game, though obviously, I would've liked to get three points. The guys are playing well, and we're still in the hunt, which is ultimately the goal."

Lakhlifi, whose goal came on a penalty kick, led the River Hawks with two shots on goal. Leading the team in total shots was senior Liam Ireland (Yarmouth, Maine) with three, while senior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) and freshman Jona Starek (Düsseldorf, Germany) each chipped in with one. In net, junior JR Gawel made one save in 90 minutes of action.

The River Hawks opened the game with a strong offensive attack, with Ireland firing off two shots in the opening four minutes. The pace slowed immediately with defense taking the focus, as neither side registered another shot by the 15th minute. Both teams continued to battle it out, and although UMass Lowell registered the first shot on goal in the 28th minute off the foot of Lakhlifi, the Highlanders goaltender got in front of it, keeping the match scoreless with just over 16 minutes remaining in the half.

The back-and-forth battle continued through the first half, with the River Hawks and Highlanders playing excellent defense to prevent either side from finding an opportunity. However, with 38:58 on the clock, UMass Lowell pushed the ball downfield into the box before a foul on Lakhlifi set him up with a penalty kick, which he drilled into the top right corner to put his squad in front 1-0. NJIT logged a shot attempt moments later looking for an equalizer, but the River Hawks continued to lock down the opposition, keeping the score 1-0 at the break.

Coming out of halftime, the visitors were aggressive on the offensive end, firing off two shots in three minutes, including one that Gawel got his hands on for the save. Similar to early in the first half, the pace of play slowed down as the two teams fought for control of possession. Nearly ten minutes later, Nakajima logged a shot on goal that was rejected by the visitors' keeper, before a Highlanders' penalty kick conversion knotted the score up at 1-1 in the 60th minute.

Looking to take the lead, the visitors pressured UMass Lowell's defense, outshooting the hosts 4-0 in the final 25 minutes. However, the River Hawks were up for the challenge, preventing any of the shots from reaching their goaltender, sealing the 1-1 final score.

Next up, the River Hawks welcome Vermont to Lowell for the final home game of the regular season on Friday, November 1. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Cushing Field.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Yanis Lakhlifi

#14 Yanis Lakhlifi

F
6' 1"
Junior
Shunnosuke Nakajima

#19 Shunnosuke Nakajima

M
5' 7"
Junior
Liam Ireland

#15 Liam Ireland

M
5' 11"
Sophomore
Jona Starek

#15 Jona Starek

M
Freshman
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

GK
5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Yanis Lakhlifi

#14 Yanis Lakhlifi

6' 1"
Junior
F
Shunnosuke Nakajima

#19 Shunnosuke Nakajima

5' 7"
Junior
M
Liam Ireland

#15 Liam Ireland

5' 11"
Sophomore
M
Jona Starek

#15 Jona Starek

Freshman
M
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

5' 11"
Junior
GK