River Hawks Wrap Up Regular Season Against #23 Vermont

LOWELL, Mass. – After a hard-fought loss in the penultimate match of the regular season, the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (5-6-3, 1-4-1 AE) hosts the #23 Vermont Catamounts (9-2-4, 3-1-2 AE) on Tuesday, November 3. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Cushing Field.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter Tuesday's match coming off a 2-0 loss to New Hampshire on Friday night. Leading the way for the UMass Lowell offense against the Wildcats, junior Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) finished the match with two shots, both on target. Tied with two shots, senior Linus Musielak (Dortmund, Germany) added one on goal, while junior Justin Godbout-Garon (Québec City, Quebec) and sophomore Juan Pablo-Correa (Wakefield, Mass.) each add one shot on net. In net, sophomore Alvaro Medrano (Guatemala City, Guatemala) made a pair of saves in his third start of the season.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 14 games, Godbout-Garon 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. Junior Eijin Magota (Tokyo, Japan), meanwhile, has made eight saves with one goal allowed in two games with one start, while Medrano has made nine saves in three 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 junior Jonah Straube (Frankfurt, Germany) leads the newcomers with 13 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 senior Ethan Agyare-Danso (Etobicoke, Canada) wrapped the scoring up with a goal each. 

SCOUTING #23 VERMONT
The Catamounts currently sit at a 9-2-4 record and a 3-1-2 record in conference play, most recently coming off a 1-1 draw against Binghamton. Leading the way for the Vermont offense, David Ismail totals five goals and four assists for 14 points, while Philipp Schmidtke sits seconds with 12 points off five goals and two assists. The team's top playmaker, Luis Fisher, adds a team-high seven assist, while in net, Niklas Herceg as allowed 10 goals while making 48 saves in 14 starts.

MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks and Wildcats have battled 14 times, with Vermont owning an 8-2-4 advantage in the all-time series. Last year, the River Hawks shutout then #2 Vermont in Burlington to battle to a 0-0 draw. That shutout marked the first time a team had held the Catamounts scoreless at home since the 2022 season.

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Players Mentioned

Moritz Aé

Ethan Agyare-Danso

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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