LOWELL, Mass. – Coming off a 1-1 week, the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (5-4-1, 0-1-0 AE) looks to earn its first win of conference play when the Binghamton Bearcats (4-7-0, 0-1-0 AE) come to town on Saturday, October 4. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Cushing Field.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter Tuesday's match coming off a 3-0 loss to then #14 Bryant on Sunday, September 28th. Against the Bulldogs, sophomore Matteo Costa (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) logged two shots on goal to lead the squad. Costa, who finished with two shots in 79 minutes of action, was one of five River Hawks to tally a shot on the afternoon. Graduate student Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) and junior Ethan Young (Kansas City, Mo.) each tallied a shot on target, while juniors Ethan Agyare-Danso (Etobicoke, Canada) and Alex Champagne (Pembroke Pines, Fl.) each added on a shot as well. In net, freshman Alvaro Medrano (Guatemala City, Guatemala) made seven saves.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through eight 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, while senior Junyoung Hwang (Gimpo, South Korea) and sophomore Henry Wohlt (Milwaukee, Wis.) 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 five 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 nine of ten games. In net, the River Hawks have split time between two goalies, with Medrano making 37 saves and allowing 10 goals in only seven starts, while graduate student Jorge Ortega (Tijuana B.C., Mexico) has made 10 saves and allowed five goals in three 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 five 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 his first year at UMass Lowell, Medrano has made his name known, earning the start in seven of the team's last eight games. In those matches, he has tallied a 4-2-1 record while posting a .787 save percentage, ranking 48^th in the country. Even more impressive, his 37 total saves sit 28^th in Division I, and his 5.29 saves per game sit eighth in the nation and first in the America East.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
After making 11 saves without allowing a goal in his first two collegiate appearances, Medrano was named the America East Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week in week two. Not only did the awards mark the first for UMass Lowell this season, but it is the first time a River Hawk has earned both awards in the same week.

FRESH FACES
Nine of the newest River Hawks have made at least five appearances so far this season, with three earning at least seven starts. Six of the team's 11 goals have come off the foot of a newcomer, while five newcomers have accumulated at least 450 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 as the only two conferences to have two teams in the top 10 in RPI. Although Vermont and Bryant are in front of the River Hawks, UMass Lowell is the next highest ranked team in the conference, sitting at 93^rd in the RPI out of over 200 teams.

SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats enter Saturday's match with a three-game losing streak, most recently dropping Tuesday's match to Cornell, 5-0. Binghamton's offense is led by Anthony Randazzo, who paces the team with five goals in seven games, ranking second in the America East in goals and first in goals per game (.714). Behind him, Alex Balkey adds five points on two goals and an assist, while three other Bearcats add four points. In net, Daniel Shannon has seen the majority of playing time, making 27 saves in eight starts, good for a .711 save percentage and a 4-4 record.