LOWELL, Mass. – With only two games remaining in the regular season, the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (7-5-2, 2-2-1 AE) welcomes the New Hampshire Wildcats (4-6-4, 2-2-1 AE) for the team's final home game of the regular season on Friday, October 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Cushing Field.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks Friday coming off a 2-0 loss to UMBC last Saturday night. In that match, three River Hawks finished with two shots, with senior Iñaki Esnaola (Junin, Argentina) leading the way with two shots, including one on goal. Junior Ethan Agyare-Danso (Etobicoke, Canada) and sophomore Matteo Costa (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) both added two shots, while junior Ethan Young (Kansas City, Mo.) added one shot on target.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 13 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 seniors Junyoung Hwang (Gimpo, South Korea) and Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden), sophomore Henry Wohlt (Milwaukee, Wis.), and Agyare-Danso each tally a goal and an assist. Sophomore Cristiano Da Silva (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) is tied with Pham and graduate student Shunnouke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) for the team lead with two assists, while five other River Hawks total two points. Senior Mauro Fernandez (Fitchburg, Mass.), Esnaola, and Nakajima represent the three River Hawks to start in 13 of the team's 14 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 12 saves and allowed seven goals in seven starts, including a posting a stretch of three straight shutouts.

PLAYOFF HUNT
With a win or tie against the Wildcats, the River Hawks can become the fourth America East team to clinch a playoff spot, which would mark the first time the team has made the conference tournament since the 2019 season.  It has already been a successful season for the River Hawks, as their seven wins are the most since the 2019 campaign as well, and their seven conference points mark the most since finishing with nine in 2021.

SHUTOUT STREAK
Ahead of the season, Coach Zenoni emphasized the need for good defensive play to find success in conference play. So far, so good, as the River Hawks posted clean sheets in three straight conference matches, the longest shutout streak by the team since recording five straight during the 2019 season, and the longest streak in conference play since posting three straight to close out the 2017 season.

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 seven 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 13 games, has compiled a 4-2-1 record while posting a .787 save percentage. His 5.29 saves per game sit seventh in the nation and first in the America East as well. Ortega, meanwhile, has earned the start in the team's last four games, posting three clean sheets to help the team earn seven points in conference play. On the season, the graduate student has allowed only seven goals in seven appearances, good for a 1.00 goals against average.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
In week eight, 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
Five of the newest River Hawks have made at least 12 appearances so far this season, with two earning at least eight starts. Seven of the team's 13 goals have come off the foot of a newcomer, while three newcomers have accumulated at least 700 minutes of playtime.

CONFERENCE RANKINGS
Entering Thursday morning, the America East is ranked as one of the best conferences in the nation, as it joins the Big Ten as the only two conferences with two teams in the top five of the 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 86th in the RPI out of over 200 teams.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
UNH enters Friday's match coming off a 4-0 victory over NJIT last Saturday night. So far this season, the Wildcats' offense is led by Elias Khodri, who has five goals and one assist for a team-best 11 points. Right behind him, Terry Makedika posts a squad-best four assists as part of a six-point season, while four other Wildcats have tallied at least three total points. In net, three different goalkeepers have earned time, with Scott Williams leading the way, making 30 saves and allowing only 10 goals in nine appearances, good for a .750 save percentage.

MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell and New Hampshire have faced off 16 times, with the Wildcats owning a 13-3 advantage all-time. Last year, UNH earned a 4-0 home win, with the last win for Lowell coming during the 2018 America East Playoffs when they earned a 2-1 victory.