(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “Junior Ethan Agyare-Danso (left) dribbles the ball, building up the offensive attack against UMBC.”
Tristin Henson
Connector Editor
The River Hawks Men’s soccer team has been doing very well this season, and they are currently 7-4-2, only needing one more win to get them to the playoffs. If they get that win on the 25th of October, this will be the first time UMass Lowell will reach the conference tournament since 2019, as well as becoming the second America East team to secure a playoff spot this season. The team has had a very successful season thus far, with their seven wins this season also being the most they’ve had since 2019, and their seven conference points marking the most they’ve had since 2021, when they finished with nine points.
Since the start of the conference matches, the River Hawks have faced off against Bryant, where they suffered a heavy loss (0-3), the first of its kind this season. But, despite having such a rough start, the River Hawks were able to turn the tide around and win against Binghamton during their next game. However, this game was hard-fought and well-earned, as they were tied in wins and losses against each other previously. The whole game was a back-and-forth across the field, until a goal was scored at the 80:35 minute mark by junior Ethan Agyare-Danso, with assists from junior Ethan Young and graduate Shunnosuke Nakajima. When asked about the game, Head Coach Kyle Zenoni stated: “It was a battle…It’s a conference game, every conference game is a battle, as we know.”
The tie against Vermont, which was the River Hawks’ next game, was just as brutal, a constant back and forth where the end result was a tie, no teams scoring on each other (0-0). Keeping up the narrow wins, against NJIT, a goal was scored at minute 83:07 by sophomore Matteo Costa, with an assist from senior Oliver Holmstrom. The home game on the 25th is sure to be just as grueling for the River Hawks against UMBC, with a match history that looks like it could go either way, and is slightly in UMBC’s favor (4-6-1). However, last season the River Hawks tied with UMBC, and the year before that, they had won.
What makes the River Hawk team more likely to win this time around?
Well, numerous factors, but one of the key ones is the new gen. Five of the newest River Hawks have made ten appearances this season, four having accumulated at least 600 minutes on the field, two earning eight starts, and in total, the newest gen has made seven of the team’s 13 goals.
The coaches themselves have also played an important role in training up these new players. Coach Zenoni mentioned this during the match against Binghamton: “I mean, they’re really well coached…I’m really proud of the guys, they’re doing well and they keep grinding, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.” Before this year’s season, Coach Zenoni had also led the River Hawks to their previous most successful season in 2024 (6-5-5 overall, 1-4-2 at conference). For this season, Coach Zenoni has heavily emphasized the importance of good defensive play to get to the playoffs, which leads to the next reason why the River Hawks have done so well this season: the goalies.
The two goalies for the River Hawks have been incredible this season. Graduate Jorge Ortega has a 0.706 save percentage, and he has earned the start in the team’s last three games, posting three clean sheets in conference play. Meanwhile, freshman Alvaro Medrano has a .787 save percentage and 5.29 saves per game, which is ninth in the nation and first in the America East.
Overall, the River Hawks have a strong shot at winning against UMBC and getting to the playoffs this year, thanks to Coach Zenoni’s decisions on the team’s new players and good defensive strategy largely due to the goalie duo team.
