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Harguindey vs Lafayette
1
Lafayette LAF (0-0-1, 0-0-0)
1
UMass Lowell UML (0-0-1, 0-0-0)
Lafayette LAF
(0-0-1, 0-0-0)
1
Final
1
UMass Lowell UML
(0-0-1, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lafayette LAF 0 1 1
UMass Lowell UML 0 1 1

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Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

River Hawks Open Season With 1-1 Draw Against Lafayette

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LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Martin Harguindey (Buenos Aires, Argentina) scored his first goal as a River Hawk, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (0-0-1) battled to a 1-1 draw against the Lafayette Leopards (0-0-1) on Thursday night at Cushing Field.

"First game, I think everyone was a little nervous and excited, and it kinda showed in the beginning," said head coach Kyle Zenoni. "But, I'll tell you what, the boys played great. We had plenty of chances. They had a couple of chances, and JR stepped up and did well in net. For the most part, I was pleased, I thought we controlled most of the game, we just need to finish it off."

Assisting on the goal was senior Yanis Lakhlifi (La Crau, France), which was the first point of his career. Senior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) was aggressive on offense, firing off five shots on goal, while Harguindey tallied three, and Lakhlifi and junior Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands) added one each. In net, junior JR Gawel (Leonardtown, Md.) made six saves in his first appearance at UMass Lowell.

The River Hawks quickly got the ball in the attacking zone to open the match, as Lakhlifi fired off a shot just wide less than two minutes in. The hosts got another look right away when Harguindey launched a shot from just inside the box, but a save by the Leopards keeper kept the game scoreless.

With 20:53 on the clock, Lafayette used a corner to set up Jackson Vajda who drilled the ball at the net, but an incredible diving save by Gawel kept the opposition off the board. Only seconds UMass Lowell found its best opportunity of the half, using a deep ball off the foot of junior Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina) to find Harguindey on the other end of the pitch. The Argentina native then dished a quick pass to Nakajima in the box, but a sliding effort by the visiting keeper kept the senior's shot from finding the back of the net.

The strong defensive efforts from both sides continued for the remainder of the half, with only one shot on goal being registered in 20 minutes of action, keeping the game in a scoreless draw at the break.

Much like the first half, the River Hawks controlled possession to open the second, firing off five straight shots, including two on goal, in the first 15 minutes of play. The Leopards battled right back, launching two shots on goal of their own, but excellent defensive play by the hosts kept things scoreless with only 20 minutes remaining. In the 78th minute, Lafayette finally broke through, as Andrey McIntyre found the back of the net to put his squad in front, 1-0.

UMass Lowell refused to back down, though, taking a more aggressive approach on the offensive end looking to even the score. With 82:09 on the clock, Nakajima ripped two shots that the goaltender rejected, and although Lakhlifi followed up with a dart of his own, one more rejection by Huff kept it a one-goal game. However, less than two minutes later, junior Mauro Fernandez (Fitchburg, Mass.) sent a pass deep into the box to Lakhlifi for a header which he lifted just over the hands of the goalie,  setting up Harguindey to rush in and tap in the equalizer.

In the final six minutes, the two sides continued the back-and-forth battle, but neither were able to break the tie, sealing the 1-1 decision.

Next up, the River Hawks will celebrate Senior Night on Sunday, August 25, when they welcome the CCSU Blue Devils to Cushing Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Mauro Fernandez

#16 Mauro Fernandez

M
5' 8"
Sophomore
Calvin Scholten

#28 Calvin Scholten

M
6' 0"
Sophomore
Yanis Lakhlifi

#14 Yanis Lakhlifi

F
6' 1"
Junior
Shunnosuke Nakajima

#19 Shunnosuke Nakajima

M
5' 7"
Junior
Martin Harguindey

#19 Martin Harguindey

F
5' 7"
Junior
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

GK
5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Mauro Fernandez

#16 Mauro Fernandez

5' 8"
Sophomore
M
Calvin Scholten

#28 Calvin Scholten

6' 0"
Sophomore
M
Yanis Lakhlifi

#14 Yanis Lakhlifi

6' 1"
Junior
F
Shunnosuke Nakajima

#19 Shunnosuke Nakajima

5' 7"
Junior
M
Martin Harguindey

#19 Martin Harguindey

5' 7"
Junior
F
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

5' 11"
Junior
GK