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Men's Soccer
Ireland vs Northeastern
0
UAlbany UALB (2-7-1, 0-1-0)
2
Winner UMass Lowell UML (6-1-3, 1-0-0)
UAlbany UALB
(2-7-1, 0-1-0)
0
Final
2
UMass Lowell UML
(6-1-3, 1-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UAlbany UALB 0 0 0
UMass Lowell UML 1 1 2

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History

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

River Hawks Start Conference Play Strong With 2-0 Win Over UAlbany

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LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Liam Ireland (Yarmouth, Maine) tallied his first goal of the season, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (6-1-3, 1-0 AE) took down the UAlbany Great Danes (2-7-1, 0-1 AE), 2-0, to open conference play on Saturday night.

"It's a rollercoaster of emotions, right," said head coach Kyle Zenoni. "We got the monkey off our back and got our first win in conference play. UAlbany is a good team, they're a hard team to play against. Trevor does a great job with them. I'm really proud of the guys and how much they work and get after it all season long. We can compete and we know it, today was just a nice way to show it."

Ireland, whose goal came midway through the second half, was one of three River Hawks to record a point on the night. Senior Yanis Lakhlifi (La Crau, France) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the first half, and junior Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina) chipped in with an assist on Ireland's goal. In net, junior JR Gawel (Leonardtown, Md.) recorded his second straight shutout, and fourth of the year, making six saves on the night to tie his season-best.

The Great Danes controlled possession to open the match, firing off their first shot of the game just before the five-minute mark. The River Hawks were up for the challenge though, fighting off multiple UAlbany advances to keep things scoreless through twenty minutes. Moments later, the River Hawks found their first opportunity of the night when junior Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) collected a pass at midfield, before sending it down the field to junior Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina). With one man to beat, the Argentina native made a quick sidestep before sending his shot out, but his ball went just wide of the net, keeping things knotted at 0-0 in the 25th minute.

Over the next five minutes, the visitors regained control, rattling off four shots, but Gawel made three saves that kept the Great Danes off the board. Less than two minutes later, after another defensive stop by the hosts, senior Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) lobbed a deep pass from midfield for Lakhlifi, but it was intercepted by the defender. Looking to clear the ball, the Great Danes sent a slow pass back to their keeper, but Lakhlifi rushed in, bumping the ball past the keeper, setting up a wide-open look that he buried to give his team a 1-0 lead. The back-and-forth battle continued, and although the River Hawks had one last opportunity in the final minute, the score stayed the same heading into the break.

Despite UAlbany opening the second half with the first two shots by the 55th minute, UMass Lowell quickly took control of the game, outshooting the opposition 4-0 over the next ten minutes. Dominating possession, the hosts were able to capitalize in the 74th minute when senior Santiago Delfino (Cordoba, Argentina) sent the ball into the back right corner to Esnaola. The junior moved towards the net before sneaking the ball through the box only feet in front of the goal line, finding Ireland on the opposite corner of the goal. The Maine native followed up with a quick shot just past the keeper, doubling his team's lead to 2-0.

In the final 15 minutes, the Great Danes continued to fight as they attempted to make a comeback, but the River Hawks wouldn't allow it, outshooting them the rest of the way to seal the 2-0 victory.

Next up, the River Hawks head to Maryland to take on UMBC on Saturday, October 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Retriever Soccer Park.
 
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Players Mentioned

Oliver Holmstrom

#21 Oliver Holmstrom

M
6' 1"
Sophomore
Santiago Delfino

#4 Santiago Delfino

M
6' 0"
Junior
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
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

GK
5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Oliver Holmstrom

#21 Oliver Holmstrom

6' 1"
Sophomore
M
Santiago Delfino

#4 Santiago Delfino

6' 0"
Junior
M
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
JR Gawel

#32 JR Gawel

5' 11"
Junior
GK