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Holmstrom Goal Celebration
0
Central Conn. St. CCSU (0-1-0, 0-0-0)
2
Winner UMass Lowell UML (1-0-1, 0-0-0)
Central Conn. St. CCSU
(0-1-0, 0-0-0)
0
Final
2
UMass Lowell UML
(1-0-1, 0-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Conn. St. CCSU 0 0 0
UMass Lowell UML 1 1 2

Next Game:

at Saint Peter's

8/29/2024 | 4PM

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Full Schedule
Aug. 29 (Thu) / 4PM
at Saint Peter's
History

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

River Hawks Best CCSU, 2-0, On Senior Night

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LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) and senior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) each scored their first goal of the season, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (1-0-1) took down the CCSU Blue Devils (0-1-0), 2-0, on Sunday night.

"I thought we played pretty well today," said head coach Kyle Zenoni. "We're doing better at getting guys in the game, and our style of play is coming out more and more, so I'm really pleased with that. I think we dominated the game in all facets, which is our goal in every match, and we had a shutout so I'm pretty pleased overall."

Joining Holmstrom and Nakajima in the points column were freshmen Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) and Matteo Costa (Frankfurt am Main, Germany), each tallying an assist for their first career points. Graduate student Guillermo Francés Poquet (Enguera, Valencia) led the River Hawks with four shots. In net, junior JR Gawel (Leonardtown, Md.) made three saves to earn his first shutout at UMass Lowell.

The River Hawks came out of the gates dominating possession for most of the first half, logging their first shot on goal only five minutes in when Francés Poquet's shot skimmed off the Blue Devils' keeper's hand. The hosts stayed relentless, though, keeping the ball in the offensive zone to hold the opposition to zero shots for nearly 20 minutes. Moments later, the River Hawks found one of their best scoring opportunity of the night. Racing down the left side of the field Nakajima lofted a pass just in front of the net for Francés Poquet, but his header went just right of the net, leaving the game scoreless midway through the first.

With their eyes set on getting on the board, the River Hawks pelted two shots at the CCSU net, but saves by the goaltender kept UMass Lowell off the board. However, in the 38th minute, the River Hawks broke open the scoring, as Somorrostro sent the ball just in front of the net, which Holmstrom tapped in past the diving goalie, giving the hosts the 1-0 lead and the freshman the first point of his career. The two sides battled in the final minutes of the half, but excellent defensive play by both sides kept the score 1-0 through the first 45.

It didn't take long for the River Hawks to strike again in the second half, finding the back of the net in only the 48th minute. After the hosts made a few passes on the offensive end of the field, Costa found Nakajima open with a clear shot from 25 yards out. Despite the distance, the senior settled the ball and without hesitation ripped a shot past the goalkeeper, giving his squad a 2-0 lead with just over 40 minutes to play.

Although UMass Lowell held a two-goal advantage, the squad did not relax, continuing to fire shots over the next 25 minutes, outshooting the Blue Devils 6-1 over that time. With time running out, CCSU became more aggressive as they tried to get on the board, tallying three shots in the final five minutes of action. The stout River Hawk defense would not budge though, holding on to the 2-0 shutout victory.

Next up, the River Hawks hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Saint Peter's Peacocks. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Joseph J. Jaroschak Field in Jersey City, N.J.
 
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Players Mentioned

Oliver Holmstrom

#21 Oliver Holmstrom

M
6' 1"
Sophomore
Shunnosuke Nakajima

#19 Shunnosuke Nakajima

M
5' 7"
Junior
Guillermo Francés Poquet

#8 Guillermo Francés Poquet

M
5' 8"
Graduate Student
Matteo Costa

#22 Matteo Costa

M
6' 0"
Freshman
Santiago Somorrostro

#27 Santiago Somorrostro

F
5' 11"
Freshman
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

GK
5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Oliver Holmstrom

#21 Oliver Holmstrom

6' 1"
Sophomore
M
Shunnosuke Nakajima

#19 Shunnosuke Nakajima

5' 7"
Junior
M
Guillermo Francés Poquet

#8 Guillermo Francés Poquet

5' 8"
Graduate Student
M
Matteo Costa

#22 Matteo Costa

6' 0"
Freshman
M
Santiago Somorrostro

#27 Santiago Somorrostro

5' 11"
Freshman
F
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

5' 11"
Junior
GK