SAN ANTONIO, TX. – Freshman Alvaro Medrano (Guatemala City, Guatemala) made his second career shutout in as many matches, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (2-1-1) battled the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals (1-2-1) to a 0-0 draw on Sunday afternoon.

"That is a well-coached team and I have a lot of respect for that staff," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "With that said, I am disappointed we could not score a few of our chances. I think we created enough quality chances to win the game. At the end of the day, we are going home with four points, played in some extremely hot weather, and the boys didn't give up a goal. I am proud of the fight. We are moving in the right direction. We will rest up a bit and prepare for Holy Cross."

Medrano, who made two saves in 90 minutes of action, has now kept a clean sheet in each of his two collegiate starts. Offensively, ten River Hawks logged a shot, with eight of those shots coming on target. On defense, sophomore Aamir Ketbache (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) played the entire game, while sophomore Henry Wohlt (Milwaukee, Wis.) logged 72 minutes in his second appearance of the season.

The game opened with both sides emphasizing defense, as neither team was able to register a shot for nearly 15 minutes.  However, with 14:42 on the clock, the Cardinals found their first scoring opportunity of the match when they sent a crossing pass to set up an attacker, but his shot went high right, keeping things scoreless. In the 27^th minute, the River Hawks countered with a great chance when sophomore Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) delivered a corner kick perfectly to senior David Garcia (El Paso, Tx.). The senior connected, heading the ball to the right side of the net, but an excellent diving save by the opposing keeper prevented UMass Lowell from opening the scoring.

With time slowly starting to wind down in the first half, the two offenses began to pick up the pace, with UMass Lowell firing off five shots, including four on target, over the final 15 minutes of the period.  Despite the constant pressure from the River Hawks, the hosts were able to stay in front, preventing the ball from reaching the back of the net. Meanwhile, the River Hawks' defense continued to impress, allowing only two shots, with one being saved by Medrano, to keep the game knotted at 0-0 heading into the break.

Coming out of the half, the visitors picked up right where they left off, putting up two shots, highlighted by sophomore Liam Duggan's (Pickering, Ontario) first of the match, before the 55^th minute. UIW responded with a vengeance, though, logging the next four shots of the game, while holding the River Hawks without a shot of their own for nearly 20 minutes.

Looking to break open the scoring, redshirt sophomore Justin Pham (Liverpool, N.Y.) nearly buring the go-ahead goal with 74:21 on the clock. Trying to clear the ball out of their defensive end, the Cardinals attempted to pass the ball down the field, but senior Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) intercepted it and quickly dished it over to Pham. Trying to beat out the opposition, the New York native juked out his defender before launching a shot, but a diving effort by the goalie prevented UMass Lowell from taking the late lead.  Despite the River Hawks logging two more shots the remainder of the way, the UIW defense was able to hold on, sealing the 0-0 draw.

Next up, the River Hawks wrap up the three-game road trip when they visit the Holy Cross Crusaders on Saturday, September 6. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium.