Lowell, Mass. – Entering year three under Head Coach Kyle Zenoni, the UMass Lowell men’s soccer team fought through a challenging, 16-game schedule to post their best record since the 2019 season.

NEWCOMER RELEASE

Ahead of the start of the 2024 campaign, Zenoni announced his incoming class. The group of 12 new River Hawks featured four junior transfers alongside eight true freshmen to complement the 17 returning members from 2023. 

UML 2, CCSU 0 – RECAP

Following a draw in the season opener against Lafayette, the River Hawks picked up their first win of the young season on Senior Day against the Blue Devils. Junior Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) got the scoring started with his first goal in the 38th minute, with the assist coming from freshman Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) for his first career point. Not too long after, only minutes into the second half, senior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) found the back of the net off freshman Matteo Costa’s (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) first assist to give the team a commanding 2-0 lead. In his second start as a River Hawk, junior JR Gawel (Leonardtown, Md.) posted three saves en route to the shutout to seal the victory.

UML 2, MERRIMACK 1 – RECAP

Looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season, UMass Lowell made the quick trip to North Andover to battle the Merrimack Warriors. Despite the opposition controlling possession in the early minutes, the River Hawks found their footing, firing off three straight shots before capitalizing in the 33rd minute with a goal off the left foot of Francés Poquet, giving the squad a 1-0 advantage. Though the score remained the same heading into the break, less than two minutes into the second half Francés Poquet struck again, this time with an assist from junior Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands). The hosts struck only a minute later to cut the lead in half, but the River Hawks dominated the remainder of the game, outshooting their opponents 7-4 to earn the 2-1 victory and improve to 5-1-2, tying their best start since 2018.

AMERICA EAST ALL-CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS RELEASE

Following the season's conclusion, three River Hawks were tabbed to All-Conference teams. Matteo Costa was named to the All-Rookie team after starting in 15 of the 16 matches and averaging nearly 70 minutes per game. Throughout the season, the freshman continued to earn recognition from the conference, as he was named the America East Rookie of the Week twice. For the third straight season, Francés Poquet was named to the All-Academic team, posting a 3.738 GPA and ranking second on the team with eight points in 14 games. Meanwhile, Lakhlifi, who owned a 3.755 GPA as an economics major, was named to the All-Academic team for the first time in his career. Lakhlifi played a huge role in the team’s success all season, leading the squad with five goals and 11 points.

In his first season at UMass Lowell, Gawel made a name for himself as the River Hawks’ starting goalkeeper, making 60 saves in 15 starts, good for a .732 save percentage. Recording a 5-5-5 record, the junior recorded four shutouts on the season, earning him the America East Defensive Player of the Week honor three times, tying the most weekly awards in the conference by a player this season.

In front of Gawel, the UMass Lowell defense impressed all year, highlighted by seniors Rui Aoki (Hyogo, Japan) and Kotaro Natsume (Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan) as well as juniors Oscar Perez (Sagunto, Spain), Patrick Pires (Santo Añtao, Cape Verde), and Mauro Fernandez (Fitchburg, Mass.). All five players appeared in at least 13 games, with Perez, Aoki, and Fernandez all making at least 13 starts and totaling over 1000 minutes of action. As a team, the River Hawks allowed one goal or less in 11 of 16 matches, including four shutouts against CCSU, Saint Peter’s, Northeastern, and UAlbany.

On the offensive end, the UMass Lowell had contributions from a plethora of players, as the team had 11 different goal-scorers and 15 different River Hawks recorded at least a point. Leading the charge, Lakhlifi scored a career-best five goals alongside one assist for 11 points. Behind him, Francés Poquet and Holmstrom each finished with eight points, while Scholten added six off two goals and two assists.