HOUSTON, TX. – Senior Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) scored his first goal of the season, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-1-0) took down the Houston Christian Huskies (1-1-0), 1-0, in the first road match of the season.

"It's not easy playing in the heat like this and after a long flight," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "The boys played really well. We knew it was going to be a tough match and I think we battled hard and got a great result. We had some chances we should have put away and didn't, which made it hard on us in the second half, but we will take the win. We had many great performances, but what a job by Alvaro stepping up as a freshman to start the game on the road, and he made some big time saves. Really proud of the team. I'm pleased to have our first shutout of the season and now we need to recover quickly and play a well-coached team on Sunday."

Holmstrom played a key role for the River Hawks' offense, firing off four shots, including three on goal, while scoring the match's lone goal. Redshirt sophomore Justin Pham (Liverpool, N.Y.) recorded an assist while recording one shot on target, as well. In net, freshman Alvaro Medrano (Guatemala City, Guatemala) had a perfect debut, making nine saves on his way to the shutout in his first career appearance.

Although the Huskies recorded the first shot of the match less than a minute in, the River Hawks quickly put the pressure back on them, firing off a pair of shots, including one on target by Holmstrom, over the next four minutes. Both sides proceeded to go back and forth, with each side earning a pair of corners, but excellent defensive efforts, including three saves by Medrano, kept the game scoreless through 20 minutes.

In the 22^nd minute, the River Hawks found their best opportunity yet and were sure to take advantage of it. After moving the ball down the field, Pham found Holmstrom open, dishing out a pass to the senior, who quickly collected the ball before ripping a shot into the bottom right corner of the net, giving his squad the early 1-0 lead. Trying to find an equalizer before the break, the Huskies picked up the pace, outshooting the River Hawks 5-3 the remainder of the half, but UMass Lowell's defense stayed strong, refusing to allow a shot on target to keep the one-goal lead heading into the break.

The second half began with the visitors continuing to play phenomenal defense, allowing only three shots over the first 20 minutes of action. Despite all shots being on target, the freshman keeper was up to the challenge, as Medrano got his hands on all three to keep the Huskies from knotting it up. Still looking to find a way to get on the board, the hosts found their footing on offense, firing off five straight shots in five minutes, but UMass Lowell refused to budge, with the UMass Lowell goaltender making another great save to keep it a 1-0 game with just under 20 minutes to play.

With the clock winding down, the hosts continued to fight, but the River Hawks kept calm, allowing only one shot on target the rest of the way, which was once again saved by Medrano, sealing the 1-0 shutout.

Next up, the River Hawks wrap up their Texas road trip when they visit the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Sunday, August 31. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.