River Hawks Battle to 1-1 Draw Against Incarnate Word in 2026 Season Opener

Thursday, August 20

San Antonio, TX

8PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

0-0-1, 0-0-0

University of the Incarnate Word

0-0-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
UMass Lowell	1	0	1
UIW	0	1	1

Santiago Somorrostro Recap Header at UIW

River Hawks Battle to 1-1 Draw Against Incarnate Word in 2026 Season Opener

8/20/2026 10:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, TX. - Junior Santiago Somorrostro (Nashua, N.H.) scored the first goal of his career, as the UMass Lowell men's soccer team (0-0-1) battled to a 1-1 draw against the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals (0-0-1) in Thursday night's season opener.

"It was the first game of the season and it showed a bit," said Head Coach Kyle Zenoni. "We had some very good moments in the game and I'm with a lot of players. We also got a lot of guys in their first Division I game in a tough environment. That is a well-coached team and it was extremely hot. I think our guys did really well and created some really good chances in the first half and had to just roll up the sleeves and fight a bit in the second. We bent but didn't break. I'm excited about this group and looking forward to another tough game on Sunday."

Alongside the goal, Somorrostro also paced the squad with three total shots, including two on goal. Junior Saihaj Kailay (Belleville, Ontario) logged 90 minutes of action for the sixth time in his career in only seven starts. Joining him, junior defender Sho Kinjo (Nara, Japan) also played the full 90 minutes in his first career game. In net, junior Moritz Aé (Leipzig, Germany) made five saves in his first appearance for UMass Lowell.

Despite junior Justin Godbout-Garon (Québec City, Canada) registering the first shot of the match in the sixth minute, both sides came out with a strong defensive presence, as it proved to be the only shot in the first 25 minutes of play. In the 27th minute, however, the Cardinals threatened, racing down the left side of the pitch before a pair of passes gave the hosts a shot opportunity in the box. Junior Moritz Aé (Leipzig, Germany) was up for the challenge, racing towards the ball before making a sliding kick save for his first save in a River Hawk uniform, keeping the opposition off the board.

The first half remained a back-and-forth battle, with Somorrostro logging a pair of shots for the River Hawks over the next seven minutes. The junior continued to put pressure on the Cardinals' defense, and in the 39th minute, was rewarded. After moving down the field, Somorrostro sent the ball towards the net from deep outside the box, and after a pair of players collided in an attempt at the ball, it snuck past Incarnate Word's goalkeeper, giving UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the River Hawks continued to stand tall on defense, as Aé made another save on a shot arcing towards the net at the 47:25 mark. After that shot, both teams continued to battle for possession, with neither side finding an opportunity for nearly 20 minutes. Incarnate Word finally broke through, firing off a shot in the 65th minute followed by the equalizer minutes later, evening the score at 1-1 with just under 19 minutes remaining.

In the final minutes, the River Hawks continued to push the pace as they looked for the go-ahead goal, but the Cardinals' defense held on, sealing the 1-1 draw.

Next up, the River Hawks wrap up their trip to Texas with a visit to Houston Christian University on Sunday, August 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at Sorrels Field in Houston, Texas.