LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Ethan Agyare-Danso (Etobicoke, Canada) scored the lone goal of the match, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (6-4-1, 1-1-0 AE) bested the Binghamton Bearcats (4-8-0, 0-2-0 AE), 1-0, to earn their first America East win of the season.

"It was a battle," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "They're really well coached, and Paul does a great job with the guys. It's a conference game. Every conference game is a battle, as we know.  At times we looked really good, at times we looked a little ugly, but I'm really proud of the guys, they do well, and they keep grinding. I couldn't be more proud of them."

Alongside scoring the game winner, Agyare-Danso also led his team with two shots on target. Junior Ethan Young (Kansas City, Mo.) earned the primary assist on the goal, his first point as a River Hawk, while graduate student Shunnosuke Nakajima (Yokohama, Japan) was tabbed with an assist as well. In net, graduate student Jorge Ortega (Tijuana B.C., Mexico) earned his first shutout of the season, and as a team, the River Hawks outshot Binghamton, 14-9, including 7-0 shots on target.

The game proved to be a defensive battle from the start, as the two sides combined for only four shots in the opening 20 minutes, with the only shot on net coming off the foot of sophomore Matteo Costa (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) in the 15^th minute. The two sides continued to go back and forth, though, and in the 32^nd minute, the River Hawks nearly struck. After making his way towards the box, junior Linus Musielak (Dortmund, Germany) found an opening, setting himself up for a clean shot at the net, but the Bearcat's goalkeeper just barely got in front, keeping it a scoreless game.

With less than 20 seconds remaining in the first half, the River Hawks earned one final corner kick, which nearly put the team on the board. After Musielak sent the corner high into the box, senior Jean Leonardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) used his height to his advantage, jumping above everyone to head the ball directly at the net. The Binghamton defense, however, held strong, booting the ball away with one second remaining to keep it a scoreless game at the break.

In the second half, UMass Lowell started to hit its rhythm on offense, ripping off three straight shots in the first 20 minutes of the period. The visitors retaliated, firing off a shot moments later, but a red card put the Bearcats in a man-down situation for the remainder of the game.

The River Hawks continued to put the pressure on Binghamton, dominating the time of possession. Finally, with 80:35 on the clock, they found another scoring opportunity, and this time were sure to capitalize. Racing down the field with the ball, Nakajima sent a pass to the far right side of the box for Young, who promptly beat his defender. The junior then crossed a pass just in front of the net for Agyare-Danso, who, after settling the ball on one bounce, fired a rocket into the upper right corner of the net, putting his team in front 1-0. Despite one more shot attempt by the Bearcats, the hosts continued their excellent defensive play, sealing the 1-0 shutout.

Next up, the River Hawks hit the road when they visit the defending national champion Vermont Catamounts on Saturday, October 11. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Virtue Field.