LOWELL, Mass. – Coming off a scoreless draw against the defending national champions, the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (6-4-2, 1-1-1 AE) looks to earn a road conference win when they battle the NJIT Highlanders (3-6-4, 1-1-1 AE) on Saturday, October 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium in Newark, New Jersey.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter Saturday's match coming off a 0-0 draw against then #2 Vermont last weekend. Graduate student Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) paced the squad with three shots, all of which were on target, while junior Ethan Young (Kansas City, Mo.) and sophomore Matteo Costa (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) added three shots as well. In net, graduate student Jorge Ortega (Tijuana, B.C., Mexico) made one save to post a clean sheet.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 12 games, redshirt sophomore Justin Pham (Liverpool, N.Y.) leads the team with six points off two goals and two assists. Behind him, junior Linus Musielak (Dortmund, Germany) totals two goals and an assist for five points, while senior Junyoung Hwang (Gimpo, South Korea), sophomore Henry Wohlt (Milwaukee, Wis.), and junior Ethan Agyare-Danso (Etobicoke, Canada) each tally a goal and an assist. Sophomore Cristiano Da Silva (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) is tied for the team lead with two assists, while six other River Hawks total two points. Seniors Mauro Fernandez (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina), and Nakajima represent the three River Hawks to start in 11 of the team's 12 games. In net, the River Hawks have split time between two goalies, with freshman Alvaro Medrano (Guatemala City, Guatemala) making 37 saves and allowing 10 goals in seven starts, while Ortega has made 11 saves and allowed five goals in five starts.

RAPID FIRE RIVER HAWKS
So far this season, the River Hawks have excelled at jumping in front early of the opposition, scoring the first goal of the game in all six of their wins. Even more impressive, in three of those wins, they've found the back of the net in less than five minutes. Most recently, Hwang opened the scoring with 4:58 on the clock against CCSU, and although Pham scored the game-winner against Merrimack just over three minutes in, his earliest goal of the year came in the season opener when he struck against Saint Peter's with 1:21 on the clock.

HOT HAND IN NET
In their first years at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks' goalkeeping duo has made their names known. Medrano, who has earned the start in seven of the team's 12 games, has compiled a 4-2-1 record while posting a .787 save percentage, ranking 44^th in the country. Even more impressive, his 5.29 saves per game sit eighth in the nation and first in the America East. Ortega, meanwhile, has earned the start in the team's last two games, posting two clean sheets to help the team earn four points in conference play. On the season, the graduate student has allowed only five goals in five appearances, good for a 1.00 goals against average.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
This past week, after playing the entire game and serving as a key member of the defense that held #2 Vermont scoreless at home for the first time since 2022, Nakajima was tabbed the America East Defensive Player of the Week. The award marks the fourth of the year for the River Hawks, as only a week prior, after making his fourth career start and playing all 90 minutes while helping hold Binghamton scoreless and without a shot on target, sophomore Aamir Ketbache (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) was named the America East Defensive Player of the Week. Earlier in the season, Medrano was named both the America East Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week in week two after making 11 saves without allowing a goal in his first two collegiate appearances. Not only did the two awards mark the first for UMass Lowell on the season, but it is the first time a River Hawk has earned both awards in the same week.

FRESH FACES
Seven of the newest River Hawks have made at least eight appearances so far this season, with two earning at least eight starts. Seven of the team's 12 goals have come off the foot of a newcomer, while five newcomers have accumulated at least 500 minutes of playtime.

CONFERENCE RANKINGS
Entering Friday morning, the America East is ranked as one of the best conferences in the nation, as it joins the ACC, WCC, and Big Ten as the only four conferences to have two teams in the top 10 in RPI. Although Bryant and Vermont are in front of the River Hawks, UMass Lowell is the next highest ranked team in the conference, sitting at 70th in the RPI out of over 200 teams.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT enters Saturday's match coming off a midweek 1-1 draw against Drexel. Before that, the team took down Binghamton, 1-0, for their first conference win of the season. Their offense is led by Sergio Martinez Cubel, who paces the team with five points off a goal and a team-best three assists. Right behind him, Cristian LoGrasso totals three points off a goal and an assist, while four other Highlanders have found the back of the net once. In net, senior Devin Armstrong has started all 13 games, making 53 saves while allowing 13 goals, good for a .803 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average.