River Hawks Ready for Friday Night Battle at New Hampshire

LOWELL, Mass. – After dropping a tightly contested 1-0 loss at home last weekend, the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (5-5-3, 1-3-1) head up the road to face the New Hampshire Wildcats (6-5-3, 1-3-1 AE) this Friday, October 30. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium in Durham, N.H.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter Friday's match coming off a 1-0 loss against NJIT at home on Alumni Day. Against the Highlanders, junior Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) posted three shots, including two on goal. Senior Linus Musielak (Dortmund, Germany) added two shots, with one on target, while juniors Jonah Straube (Frankfurt, Germany) and Cristiano Da Silva (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) each added a shot on net for the River Hawks. In net, junior Eijin Magota (Tokyo, Japan), in his first career start for the River Hawks, made four saves in the contest. 

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through thirteen games, junior Justin Godbout-Garon (Québec City, Canada) paces the squad with nine points, while tied with Somorrostro for the team-lead with three goals. Somorrostro, who ranks second on the team with seven points, is one point ahead of Musielak, who posts a goal and a squad-best four assists. Meanwhile, three River Hawks round out the top five with four points apiece. In net, junior Moritz Aé (Leipzig, Germany) has made 45 saves with only ten goals allowed in ten starts, good for a 5-2-3 record. Magota, meanwhile, has made eight saves with one goal allowed in two games with one start, while junior Alvaro Medrano (Guatemala City, Guatemala) has made seven saves with two goals allowed in two starts.

FRESH FACES
The newest members of the team have already made an impact on the program, as 12 newcomers have made at least one start this year, while Straube leads the newcomers with twelve starts. Additionally, six of the new River Hawks have contributed to the team's scoring, with Godbout-Garon leading the team with nine points. 

FOREVER A RIVER HAWK
In July, the River Hawks lost a friend and teammate when junior goalkeeper Toby Forsythe (Columbus, Ohio) passed away in a tragic accident. The River Hawks will honor him every game this season by wearing warm-up shirts with his name and number before every match. Additionally, all the River Hawks' jerseys now feature a "Toby 32" patch on the sleeve. 

AWARD WINNERS
Coming off strong defensive performances in the contest against Bryant on October 17, Magota was named the America East Goalkeeper of the Week, while junior Sho Kinjo (Nara, Japan) was tabbed the America East Defensive Player of the Week in the same week. In his first career game as a River Hawk, Magota was instrumental in halting the Bulldogs' offense in the second half, as he logged four saves on eight shots faced in 44 minutes of action. Kinjo, meanwhile, added a formidable defensive presence for the River Hawks, leading the team's defense by playing all 90 minutes of action, including a block on a Bulldogs shot to preserve the shutout. The two awards marked the first of the season for both Magota and Kinjo, while it is the second time the River Hawks earned a pair of awards in one week, with Godbout-Garon being named Offensive Player of the Week and junior Louis Dufraiche (Pluherlin, France) the Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season. 

GOALS GALORE
On the road against Iona, the River Hawks' offense caught fire, tying a Division I program record with five goals scored, matching the same total when they took down CCSU 5-0 during the 2023 season. Against the Gaels, junior Marinho Oldenburg (Utrecht, Netherlands) scored the first two goals of his career, Kinjo added his first career goal as well, and Musielak and Agyare-Danso wrapped the scoring up with a goal each. 

SCOUTING UNH
The Wildcats currently sit at a 6-5-3 record, most recently taking down UMBC 5-1. Leading the team offensively, David Davila and Miguel Soto Gonzalez each total 13 points off five goals and three assists, while Lukas Kuca adds three goals and two assists for eight points. Rounding out the top three-point scorers, Xahvi Deroza and Cabot McLaren chip in two goals and two assists for six points each. In net, Aaron Choi has served as the primary goalkeeper for the Wildcats, making 46 saves with 21 goals allowed in 13 starts, good for a .687 save percentage. 

MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks and Wildcats have battled 17 times, with UNH owning a 14-3-0 record advantage in the all-time series. Last year, the two sides battled once, with UNH earning a 2-1 victory.

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Players Mentioned

Moritz Aé

Cristiano Da Silva

Louis Dufraiche

Toby Forsythe

Justin Godbout-Garon

Sho Kinjo

Eijin Magota

Alvaro Medrano

Linus Musielak

Marinho Oldenburg

Santiago Somorrostro

Jonah Straube

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